PACIFIC  COAST 

Installment  LiDrary 

ED.  K.  WATTS,  GENERAL  MANAGER, 

BOX  666,  PORTLAND.  OWE. 


Book  No. V?.. /.. of  Installment  No. 


Particular  attention  of  Clnb  Members  is  called  to  the 

following 

RULES  OF  THE  INSTALLMENT  LIBRARY, 
And  they  are  invited  to  observe  them  cloieiy,  as  they 
will  be  strictly  enforced. 

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AGENTS  WANTED. 


N  THE 

POINT 

A  SVMMEFLIDYL 


BY 

NATHAN  HASKELLDOLE 
AVTHOR.OF"NOTANGELS  OVITE 

ETC. 


LLV5TR.ATED 


BOSTON 

JOSEPH  KNIGHT  COMPANY 
MDCCCXCV 


COPYRIGHT,  1895, 
BY  JOSEPH  KNIGHT  COMPANY 


Printed  by  C.   II.  Simonds  &  Co. 
Boston,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS 


CHATTER  PAGE 

I.     MR.  MF.KRITHEW    SHINES  AT  THE   GOV 
ERNOR'S  DINNER         ....  i 

II.     MR.     MERKITHEW     FAILS    TO    KEEP    A 

SECRET         7 

III.  MR.    MERRITHEW    HAS    THE    HONOR   OF 

INTRODUCING  ins   FAMILY         .         .  15 

IV.  MR.  MERRITHEW    INSINUATES  THAT  HIS 

DAUGHTER  MARGARET  is  TO  DE  THE 
HEROINE  OE  THE  STORY   .         .  24 

V.  WHEREIN  MR.  MERRITHEW  TREATS 
GRAPHICALLY  OE  A  SHORT  OCEAN 
VOYAGE 37 

VI.     MR.  MERRITHEW  AND  HIS  FAMILY  DRIVE 

A  LONG  THREE  MILES  IN  THE  RAIN  51 

VII.     IN     WHICH    A    GOVERNMENT    OFFICIAL 

APPEARS  AS  A  COMFORTER        .         .  66 

VIII.     IN     WHICH     NEIGHBORS    APPEAR     AND 

COMFORT  THE  MERRITHEW  FAMILY          So 

IX.  IN  WHICH  MR.  MERRITHEW  DESCRIBES 
THE  POINT,  AND  GIVES  HINTS  ON 
THE  FORMATION  OF  A  LAND  COM 
PANY  ...  89 


iv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PACT. 

X.     FOURTH  OF  JULY  AND  OTHER   DAYS  AT 

THE  POINT 96 

XI.     TIIK  MERRITHEWS  MARK  VISITS      .         .         no 

XII.     IN     WHICH     FATE     SKKMS     AIJOUT    TO 

BEC.IN   SPINNING  A   \\'EI:  .         .         .          152 

XIII.  WHEREIN  A  YACHT   KNIKKS  UNDKR  THE 

DISPOSITION  OK   FATE        .         .         .         i.|8 

XIV.  \YHEREIN  MR.  MERRITHEW  SHOWS  THAT 

BEAUTY   is   A   LOADSTONE   TO   LOVE         166 

XV.  IN  WHICH  MK.  GREC.OR  TAKES  THE 
MERRITHEWS  ON  HIS  YACHT  AND 
TELLS  THEM  A  STORY  .  .  .  178 

XVI.     SURPRISES,    LIKE    MISFORTUNES,  NEVER 

COME  SINGLY 192 

XVII.     MAN  PROPOSES 208 

XVIII.     IN   WHICH    MR.   MERRITHEW  TRIES   TO 

CAP  THE  CLIMAX  AND  FAILS   .        .         222 

XIX.     IN  WHICH  MR.  MERRITHEW  ONLY  HINTS 

AT  A  CLIMAX 237 

XX.  WHEREIN  THE  END  OK  THE  STORY  is 
SHOWN  TO  I:E  LIKE  MAHOMET'S 
COFFIN  2.17 


ON    THE    POINT. 


CHAPTER    I. 

MR.    MERRITHEW    SHINES    AT    THE    GOVERNOR'S 
DINNER. 

A  COOL,  drowsy  atmosphere  was  imprisoned 
in  the  drawing-room  of  the  Governor's  house. 
This  atmosphere  had  been  caught  during  the  pre 
vious  night  and  carefully  shut  up.  Outside,  the 
sun  beat  fiercely,  and  the  mercury  was  buoyantly 
soaring,  as  if  in  emulation  of  the  winged  god  for 
whom  it  was  named.  The  heat,  of  course,  tried 
to  get  into  the  Governor's  house,  but  that  stately 
mansion  was  well  barricaded  against  it  with  outside 


2  O,V    THE   POIXT. 

shutters  and  Venetian  blinds.  A  marble  statue  on 
a  revolving  pedestal  looked  almost  ghostly  in  the 
subdued  light.  I  could  quite  imagine  that  the 
marble  flesh  shivered  slightly  from  the  moist  cool 
ness.  The  contrast  with  the  intensity  of  the  sum 
mer  heat,  from  which  I  had  just  escaped,  made  me 
feel  languid.  My  eyes  almost  closed. 

Thank  Heaven  I  have  not  an  envious  disposition, 
and  I  never  consciously  broke  the  Tenth  Com 
mandment;  but  as  I  sat  in  that  flower-perfumed 
drawing-room,  in  a  silence  broken  only  by  the  deep 
tenes  of  a  chiming  clock,  the  ticking  of  which  made 
a  monotonous  musical  murmur,  I  could  not  help 
thinking  that  wealth  and  position  must  be  a  very 
pleasant  possession.  I  began  to  imagine  myself  a 
Governor  and  the  owner  of  a  similar  mansion.  In 
another  moment  I  should  have  been  asleep. 

"And  how  does  Mr.  Merrithew  do,  this  stifling 
hot  day?" 

It  was  the  voice  of  my  hostess.  She  was  the 
very  ideal  of  what  a  Governor's  wife  should  be : 
stately,  yet  free  from  condescension ;  dignified,  yet 
cordial;  always  dressed  in  the  perfection  of  style, 
and  therefore  free  from  any  affectation  of  show. 
People's  sincerity  is  generally  evidenced  in  the 
voice.  Or,  rather,  few  people  can  be  insincere  and 
not  betray  it  in  the  voice.  On  the  strength  of  my 
impression  that  she  was  sincere  I  had  broken  one 
of  the  rules  of  my  life ;  for  what  is  the  advantage  of 


ON   THE   POINT.  3 

having  rules  for  your  life  if  you  don't  break  them 
whenever  the  proper  occasion  comes  ? 

I  had  accepted  a  general  invitation  given  some 
months  before  : 

"  We  dine  at  an  old-fashioned  hour  in  the  middle 
of  the  day,  and  we  always  have  a  vacant  seat :  do 
happen  to  drop  in  some  day  and  dine  with  us 
informally." 

Here  I  was,  undoubtedly  come  on  the  most  in 
convenient  day  that  I  could  have  chosen ;  for,  after 
we  were  seated  at  the  big  round  table,  several  of 
the  Governor's  sons  came  in  unexpectedly,  and  two 
or  three  other  chance  guests  "  happened "  in  on 
probably  the  same  generous  and  sincere  general 
invitation  which  I  had  accepted  with  so  much 
assurance.  But  the  hostess  was  equal  to  the 
occasion.  No  one  could  have  failed  to  admire  her 
self-possession  and  serenity.  Each  successive 
arrival  was  made  to  feel  at  home.  There  was  no 
lack  of  room,  though  we  had  to  sit  closer  together; 
but  tact  and  good-humor  are  wonderful  social 
lubricants,  and  the  dinner  passed  off  delightfully  to 
all. 

I  wondered  whether  Mrs.  Merrithew  would  have 
steered  the  domestic  ship  so  easily  through  such  a 
complication.  But  Mrs.  Merrithew  is  no  fool  of  a 
woman,  and  if  ever  I  sigh  for  wealth  and  position  it 
is  when  I  think  of  Mrs.  Merrithew's  latent  possi 
bilities.  She  also  can  tell  a  story  with  a  very 


4  O.V    THE   POINT. 

pretty  knack  of  mimicry  and  a  touch  of  drollery 
and  wit.  But  she  is  shy,  and  shines  brightest  on 
the  domestic  hearth.  Now  I  remember  one 
time  — 

Mrs.  Merrithew  tells  me  that  one  of  my  great 
faults  is  lack  of  continuity.  I  am  led  astray  from 
one  pearl  of  thought  to  another,  as  a  cow  browses ; 
and  I  see  that  even  now  I  have  been  digressing. 
I  got  the  dinner  in  ahead  of  time. 

I  was  roused  from  my  dream  of  being  a  Governor 
and  rich  by  the  appearance  of  my  hostess,  and  I 
began  to  describe  her  characteristics.  She  was  not 
tall,  but  she  carried  herself  in  such  a  way  as  to  give 
the  impression  of  more  than  average  height.  I  was 
startled  and  confused  on  being  detected,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  in  such  an  undignified  condition,  but 
the  tact  of  my  hostess  put  me  at  ease  without  my 
knowing  it. 

Tact,  for  a  word  of  only  four  letters,  and  one  so 
warped  from  its  original  significance,  stands  for  one 
of  the  divinest  qualities  in  man  or  woman.  Now 
Mrs.  Merrithew  has  considerable  of  this  quality,  — 
especially  in  managing  me.  I  am  not  easily  man 
aged,  but  oftentimes  I  find  myself  guided  into  a 
thing  after  I  have  vowed  with  all  my  native  obsti 
nacy  that  I  won't  have  anything  to  do  with  it.  And 
I  am  always  so  deeply  impressed  with  Mrs.  Merri- 
thew's  tact  that  I  forgive  the  deception.  For  in  the 
last  analysis,  tact  comes  to  be  a  sort  of  deception,  at 
least  in  matters  matrimonial.  Mrs.  Merrithew  — 


OAr    THE   POINT.  5 

But  I  am  digressing  again. 

"  Very  hot  weather  for  the  merry  month  of  May," 
I  ventured  to  observe. 

"  Yes ;  but  we  are  likely  to  have  very  hot 
weather  prematurely.  It  makes  us  think  of  our 
summer  plans." 

"  Have  you  made  any  plans  for  the  summer  yet  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  \Ye  are  only  just  back  from  Florida,  and  I  think 
we  can  be  very  comfortable  at  home.  After  living 
in  a  hotel,  home  seems  like  a  paradise.  And  what 
are  your  family  going  to  do,  Mr.  Merrithew  ?  " 

I  replied  that  I  was  afraid  the  family  purse  would 
not  allow  us  to  do  anything. 

"  We  have  quite  frequently  been  to  Gunkit,"  I 
added,  "  but  at  the  cottage  where  we  used  to  go 
they  have  no  room  for  us.  We  can't  afford  to  go 
anywhere  else." 

Just  then  the  Governor  came  in.  I  could  under 
stand  why  he  was  elected  governor.  Anybody  who 
shook  hands  with  him  felt  personally  his  friend, 
and  even  though  of  the  opposite  party,  scratched 
the  ticket  in  his  behalf.  Political  popularity  is 
born  with  a  man.  Some  men  have  the  power  of 
arousing  self-respect  in  others,  just  as  the  hand 
passed  over  a  cat's  back  develops  the  latent  elec 
tricity.  I,  who  am  naturally  timid  and  shrinking 
(Mrs.  Merrithew  always  laughs  when  I  say  that,  but 
it  is  true,  nevertheless),  felt  for  the  nonce  as  if 


6  <9.V    THE    POINT. 

I,  too,  were  an  important  member  of  a  great  political 
organization,  and  that  feeling  of  assurance  did  not 
leave  me  all  dinner-time. 

A  fortnight  later  I  met  the  Governor's  wife  just 
getting  out  of  her  carriage  in  the  rain.  It  was  a 
sudden  shower,  and  I,  who  happened  providentially 
to  have  an  umbrella  with  me,  was  enabled  to  save 
the  delicate  lavender  ribbons  of  a  new  spring  bon 
net  from  the  stain  of  raindrops. 

"  Come  to  dinner  to-morrow,"  said  she,  gratefully ; 
"  I  have  something  to  say  to  you.  About  half-past 
one,  you  know." 


CHAPTER    II. 

MR.    MERRITHEW    FAILS    TO    KEEP    A    SECRET. 

MRS.  MKRRITHKW  and  I  amused  ourselves 
with  guessing  what  she  could  possibly  want 
of  me.  I  thought  perhaps  she  wanted  me  to  tutor 
her  youngest£on ;  -Mrs.  Merrithew  was  certain  that 
she  was  going  to  propose  my  name  for  a  professor 
ship  of  elocution  in  a  college  in  which  she  was 
interested.  We  worked  ourselves  up  considerably, 
building  air-castles.  Just  as  the  clock  was  striking 
twelve  that  night,  Mrs.  Merrithew  waked  me  up 
from  a  delightful  dream  by  exclaiming  for  the 
fiftieth  time, — 

"  Magnus,  darling,  what  do  you  think  it  can  be  ?  " 
And  I  had  only  just  dropped  off  to  sleep!  If  I 
answered  crossly,  I  think  I  deserved  pardon.  I 
did  n't  want  to  go  to  the  Governor's  looking  as  if  I 
had  been  dragged  through  a -knot-hole,  and  loss  of 
sleep  simply  uses  me  up.  Any  man  would  have 
answered  with  some  acerbity.  I  said  I  did  n't 
know  and  I  did  n't  care.  I  did  n't  at  that  time  of 
night. 

Well,  at  the  appointed  hour  next  day  I  presented 
myself  at  the  Governor's  front  door  and  was  admitted 
into  the  library.  Here  again  I  almost  had  to  fight 


8  OAr    THE   POINT. 

down  rising  feelings  of  envy,  for  if  there  is  any  one 
thing  that  I  crave,  it  is  a  good  library.  I  have  not 
many  books  myself,  and  those  which  adorn  my 
shelves  are  a  chance  mixture  gathered  without  any 
method.  My  wife  had  none.  As  far  as  books  are 
concerned  I  might  — 

But  there  is  nothing  more  idle  than  to  speculate 
on  what  a  man  might  have  done.  Regrets  are  the 
least  valuable  assets  of  a  bankrupt. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  a  good  deal  of  what  you 
said  the  other  day  about  your  summer,"  began  my 
kind  hostess,  when  we  were  seated  together  on  the 
comfortable  divan,  flanked  by  a  music  cabinet  such 
as  I  wished  I  might  present  to  Mrs.  Merrithew. 
Our  music  has  to  be  kept  in  a  drawer.  u  It 
occurred  to  me  that  possibly  you  might  like  to 
occupy  our  cottage  by  the  sea." 

She  paused  rather  impressively,  and  I,  quite  taken 
aback,  stammered  something  about  it  depending  on 
the  rent. 

The  Lord  knew  that  I  had  no  money  to  spend  on 
rent ;  but  the  Governor's  wife  hastened  to  reassure 
me. 

"  ( )h,  there  would  n't  be  any  rent  to  pay  !  It  has 
been  unoccupied  for  two  or  three  years.  We  should 
like  to  rent  it,  but  there  is  scarcely  a  shadow  of 
a  chance,  and  if  it  is  not  engaged  by  the  first 
of  June,  we  shall  consider  it  a  real  favor  if  you 
will  take  possession  of  it." 


CLV    THE   POINT.  9 

"Where  —  where  is  it?"  I  asked,  not  knowing 
what  else  to  say.  I  knew  it  could  not  be  at  New 
port  or  Mount  Desert,  for  cottages  there  do  not  go 
empty  for  lack  of  tenants. 

"  This  is  how  it  happened,"  she  went  on  to 
explain,  "  My  husband  was  inveigled  into  a  very 
promising  land  speculation.  I  was  not  consulted. 
He  invested,  I  don't  dare  to  say  how  many  thousand 
dollars,  in  helping  to  buy  up  all  the  land  and  build 
a  big  hotel.  Then  he  built  this  cottage.  It  was 
well  built,  and  we  furnished  it  comfortably  with  all 
the  requirements  for  housekeeping.  We  spent  one 
summer  there,  but  have  never  been  there  since.  My 
husband  was  taken  very  ill,  and  had  a  dreadful  time, 
and  he  conceived  a  great  dislike  for  the  place.  I 
wish  he  had  conceived  it  before  he  went  into 
the  speculation,  for  the  enterprise  has  never  been  a 
success.  And  there  stands  the  cottage,  all  furnished ; 
and,  as  I  said,  if  no  one  wishes  to  rent  it  within  the 
next  ten  days,  it  is  yours." 

"  You  are  very  generous,"  I  said  — 

'•  No ;  don't  call  it  generous,"  she  cut  me  short. 
"  It  is  you  who  will  be  doing  us  the  favor.  It  is 
better  for  a  house  to  be  occupied  than  to  stand  idle 
and  empty."  Then  she  added,  "  I  should  certainly 
advise  you  to  go  and  see  it  first,  before  you  decide 
to  go  there  with  your  family.  I  can  tell  you,  it  is  in  a 
lovely  situation.  Our  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aller- 
ton,  had  it  one  year,  and  Mrs.  Allerton  declared 


IO  av    777^   POIXT. 

that  it  had  only  one  fault :  that  was,  the  chairs  did 
not  face  in  all  directions  at  once.  The  views  up 
and  down  the  bay  are  simply  bewitching." 

She  told  me  considerably  more  about  the  furnish 
ing  and  location  of  the  cottage,  and  about  the  people 
who  had  places  in  the  neighborhood.  At  dinner 
the  Governor  gave  me  further  particulars. 

As  I  was  about  to  take  my  departure  I  remarked 
that,  for  their  sake,  I  hoped  some  one  would  appear 
at  the  last  moment  to  hire  the  cottage,  but  for  my 
own  sake  I  hoped  it  would  still  go  begging.  That 
was  all  I  could  say  under  the  circumstances,  and  1 
am  sure  at  least  half  of  the  remark  was  absolutely 
sincere.  That  is  a  large  proportion. 

I  felt  that  it  was  best,  on  the  whole,  not  to  say 
anything  to  Mrs.  Merrithew  about  the  prospective 
cottage,  lest  in  case  we,  after  all,  failed  of  it,  she 
should  be  disappointed.  But  I  knew  my  wife  was  a 
woman  of  shrewd  penetration,  not  easy  to  deceive. 
I  hid  my  secret,  therefore,  behind  what  I  thought 
was  a  skilful  veil.  She  was  watching  for  me  as  I 
came  up  to  the  house  from  the  train.  The  intensest 
curiosity  was  depicted  on  her  face.  I  trembled 
in  my  shoes  ;  I  felt  in  my  bones  that  I  was  running 
the  sharpest  risk  of  detection ;  I  feigned  to  look 
disappointed. 

"Well,  well,  dearest,  tell  me  what  she  wanted." 

"  You  forgot  to  kiss  me,"  I  replied,  parrying 
cleverly. 


OAr    THE   POIXT.  I  I 

"  I  shan't  kiss  you  till  you  tell  me." 

"  Well,  then,  I  shan't  tell  you  till  you  kiss  me,"  I 
retorted. 

She  hesitated.  I  have  known  family  discords 
and  even  divorces  to  originate  from  as  small  a 
matter.  Mrs.  Merrithew  has  a  considerable  back 
bone  of  stubbornness.  She  tells  me  that  I  am 
stubborn.  But  in  that  respect  I  can't  hold  a  candle 
to  her.  And  I  knew  well  that  I  should  be  punished 
in  some  way  for  my  recalcitrancy. 

Perhaps  I  ought  to  remark  here,  as  an  offset  to 
any  suspicion  aroused  by  the  above  mutual  confes 
sion  of  obstinacy,  that  the  mere  fact  of  my  expect 
ing  and  demanding  a  kiss  speaks  well  for  the 
general  happiness  of  a  marriage  which  dated  back 
more  years  than  I  like  to  count.  Our  silver  wedding 
was  not  far  ahead,  and  yet  every  morning  when  I 
went  away  and  every  night  when  I  came  home  — 

Undoubtedly  we  were  as  happy  as  the  average 
married  couple  in  our  own  walk  of  life.  We  have 
had  our  little  spats  and  differences ;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  we  have  more  than  once  a  year  wished  quite 
sincerely,  for  the  time  being,  that  wre  had  not  put  our 
heads  into  the  marriage  noose.  But  I  have  heard 
an  Episcopal  clergyman  declare  that  that  marriage 
where  both  parties  did  not  sometimes  regret  it  was 
not  worth  calling  a  marriage. 

The  present  possibility  of  a  battle  in  stubborn 
ness  was  dissipated.  Curiosity  came  to  the  rescue. 
I  got  my  kiss  first. 


12  av  THE  roixr. 

"  Now  tell  me  what  she  wanted  of  you,"  insisted 
Mrs.  Merrithew,  a  little  indignant  still  that  I  had 
got  the  better  of  her. 

"  She  wanted  to  consult  me  in  regard  to  —  to  a 
little  matter  of  charity,"  I  replied,  with  perfect 
truthfulness. 

I  escaped  for  that  time ;  but  I  may  as  well 
acknowledge  here  as  anywhere  that  I  ignominiously 
failed  to  keep  that  secret  two  whole  days.  I  was 
on  the  very  point  of  congratulating  myself  on  my 
skilful  diplomacy  when  my  wife  attacked  me  from 
an  unexpected  quarter,  and  wormed  out  of  me  the 
information  that  I  was  keeping  for  a  better  day. 
She  suspected  all  the  time,  not  so  much  from  what 
I  said  or  failed  to  say  as  from  my  manner,  that  I 
was  withholding  something  from  her. 

Aside  from  the  fact  that  my  wife  was  more  than 
ever  persuaded  of  her  power  of  extracting  unwilling 
information  from  me,  and  my  consequent  humilia 
tion,  no  harm  resulted  from  the  avowal.  We  really 
got  considerable  pleasure  from  discussing  what  we 
would  do  in  case  the  cottage  should  be  ours  for  the 
summer,  and  as  we  both  fully  realized  the  possibility 
of  being  disappointed,  we  did  not  allow  our  expecta 
tions  to  reach  the  boiling  point. 

I  am  not  especially  superstitious.  I  think  Mrs. 
Merrithew  has  a  tendency  that  way.  She  has  a 
stock  of  curious  observances  which  she  acquired 
from  her  grandmother ;  but  I  scorn  noticing  which 


ox  TIIF.   roixr.  13 

foot  I  put  out  of  bed  first,  or  whether  I  see  the  new 
moon  over  my  left  shoulder,  or  what  it  means  when 
my  nose  itches.  Nevertheless,  I  have  a  sort  of 
touchstone  of  prognostication  for  each  day's  suc 
cess.  I  gauge  it  in  advance  by  tossing  my  night- 
robe  from  the  bath-tub  over  to  the  hook  by  the 
door ;  if  it  catches  and  hangs  in  graceful  folds,  I 
incline  to  expect  tha-t  the  day  will  be  a  good  one. 
During  the  week  that  followed  my  interview  with 
the  Governor's  wife  I  succeeded  every  morning  in 
accomplishing  that  excellent  feat,  and  my  expecta 
tion  was  proportionately  heightened. 

Nor  was  I  disappointed.  The  first  clay  of  June 
well  exemplified  one  of  the  meanings  of  Lowell's 
famous  line  from  "  Sir  Launfal."  "  Rare  "  means 
"  raw,"  and  I  never  knew  a  day  more  raw  in  June  ; 
but  our  hearts  were  filled  with  sunshine  by  receiv 
ing  a  note  from  the  Governor's  wife,  in  which  she 
said  that  the  cottage  would  be  at  our  disposal,  but 
she  earnestly  advised  me  to  go  and  see  it  before  we 
decided  to  take  possession  of  it. 

That  fell  in  with  Mrs.  Merrithew's  better  judg 
ment,  for  she  had  more  than  once  vowed  she  would 
never  again  go  to  a  place  which  she  had  not  first 
investigated.  But  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  me 
to  take  the  long  journey  to  the  Point,  where  the 
cottage  stood.  Besides,  I  had  not  the  ten  or  twelve 
dollars  that  it  would  cost  to  go. 

"  Why,"  said  I,  "  it  was  built  for  themselves  !  they 


14  ON   THE    POINT. 

have  occupied  it  one  summer.  I  know  the  region  is 
beautiful,  for  I  camped  out  there  once  when  I  was 
a  boy.  The  cottage  is  comfortably  furnished ;  it  is 
no  risk.  You  may  go  if  you  want  to." 

"  Now,  Magnus,  you  know  perfectly  well  that  I 
can't  leave  the  baby  — 

The  baby ! 

Well,  I  suppose  it  is  time  for  me  to  introduce  my 
family. 

I  will  do  so. 


CHAPTER    III. 

MR.     MKRRITHEW    HAS    THE    HONOR    OF 
INTRODUCING    HIS    FAMILY. 

I  HAVE  already  spoken  of  Mrs.  Merrithew  as  a 
woman  of  tact.  She  is  slightly  older  than  my 
self,  slightly  taller.  That  made  me  feel  awkward  as 
we  marched  up  through  the  aisle  of  the  church.  I 
knew  some  people  would  be  making  sport  of  us,  or 
at  least  of  me.  But  every  one  said  I  bore  myself 
remarkably  well,  and  I  had  good  reason  to  be  proud 
of  my  wife,  though  she  was  a  poor  girl  who  had 
been  obliged  to  earn  her  own  living  by  teaching  in 
a  kindergarten.  Unlike  many  women,  she  improved 


1 6  av  THE  POINT. 

in  looks  as  she  grew  older,  and  she  still  seemed  as 
young  as  a  goddess. 

"  Why,  my  darling,"  I  was  frequently  moved  to 
exclaim,  "  how  fine  you  look  this  morning !  You 
are  as  handsome  as  Queen  Victoria  on  a  postage- 
stamp  ! '' 

She  looked  so  young,  so  blooming.  Oftentimes 
when  she  and  our  daughter  Margaret  went  together 
to  the  shops  they  were  taken  for  sisters.  Mat  re 
ptikhra  pulchrior  filia.  There  was  not  a  white 
hair  in  her  dark-brown  tresses;  no  wrinkles  on  her 
cheeks,  no  lines  on  her  forehead.  Yet  she  had 
borne  anxieties  and  known  grief.  She  had  a  very 
buoyant  nature.  She  made  cheerfulness  a  science. 
Never  was  a  poor  man  blessed  with  a  more  efficient 
helpmeet,  and  I  don't  know  how  I  should  have  got 
through  the  world,  had  it  not  been  for  Mrs.  Merri- 
thew.  She  cared  nothing  for  general  society.  I 
often  wished  she  cared  more ;  but  it  was  lucky,  for, 
as  she  said,  — 

"  Magnus,  my  dear,  our  income  would  not  allow 
me  to  go  into  society.  I  dress  well  enough  to  make 
the  few  necessary  calls,  but  if  I  went  to  all  the 
parties  to  which  you  are  invited  we  should  be 
bankrupt.  \Yliy,  the  mere  item  of  gloves,  not  to 
speak  of  carriages,  would  be  too  much  for  us!  It 
is  fortunate  that  I  do  not  care  for  society.  I  like 
to  have  you  go,  for  you  enjoy  it  so  much.  I  only 
wish  you  might  have  a  little  larger  income,  for  very- 
soon  Margaret  will  be  wanting  to  go  out." 


ON    THE    POfATr.  I"] 

That  filled  me  with  dread  and  regret.  My  in 
come  was  just  the  same  as  it  had  ever  been,  —  just 
enough  to  stretch  the  ends  of  the  year  together.  I 
had  not  been  a  success.  I  still  drew  a  modest 
salary  as  dramatic  editor  of  the  Cymbal,  I  had  a 
few  pupils  in  elocution,  but  I  had  never  got  beyond 
these  beginnings.  I  might  have  made  a  second- 
rate  actor ;  but  my  people  objected  to  my  going  on 
the  stage,  and  I  knew  enough  to  know  that  I  could 
never  have  hoped  to  become  a  star  of  the  first  mag 
nitude.  I  had  always  been  in  demand  for  private 
theatricals ;  and  even  now,  when  I  look  back  and 
think  of  the  rich  girls  with  whom  I  used  to  take 
part  in  those  amateur  plays,  and  the  opportunities 
that  I  fairly  enjoyed  while  making  mock  love  to 
make  real  love,  I  sometimes  wonder  at  myself  for 
having  married  a  kindergarten  teacher  with  no 
dowry  at  all ! 

I  was  only  a  few  days  ago  talking  with  the  rich 
wife  of  a  poor  musician.  I  had  remarked  that  I 
was  glad  I  had  not  married  a  rich  wife, — that  I 
could  not  have  respected  myself  if  I  had.  She 
smiled  on  me,  —  I  certainly  displayed  a  lack  of 
judgment  in  such  a  remark,  —  and  said  that  it  was 
only  a  delight  for  a  woman  who  loved  a  man  to 
give  him  not  only  herself,  but  all  she  had. 

In  this  musician's  case  the  experiment  was  a 
success,  but  I  have  seen  a  number  of  instances 
where  the  wife's  possession  of  a  fortune  gave  her 


I  8  OAr   THE    POINT. 

the  opportunity  to  show  a  very  unlovely  sense  of 
her  power  and  superiority.  For  my  wife's  sake  I 
could  wish  that  she  had  had  money,  but  there  was 
none  in  her  family  and  none  in  mine.  Mingling, 
as  I  did  by  some  strange  chance,  with  a  society  far 
beyond  me  in  wealth,  I  felt  very  keenly  my  own 
poverty,  and  sometimes  I  had  to  fight  down  a  cer 
tain  dull  regret  that  I  had  not  shown  more  worldly 
wisdom. 

There  was  that  rich  Miss  Milbank,  who  had  a 
million  and  a  half  in  her  own  right.  She  was  an 
orphan.  She  used  to  be  very  friendly  toward  me. 
l>ut  she  had  such  an  uncongenial  nose  !  I  wonder 
whether  I  could  have  been  content  to  face  it  all  my 
life.  Now  Katharine  has  a  nose  which  is  the  acme 
of  refinement  and  delicacy.  Miss  Milbank's  aunt 
one  time  as  good  as  told  me  that  I  could  have  the 
girl  for  the  asking.  What  a  difference  it  would  have 
made  in  my  life  !  I  might  have  had  a  yacht  and  a 
span  of  horses,  and  several  other  luxuries  that  1 
crave  and  shall  never  enjoy  in  this  world. 

Poor  Katharine !  I  could  not  even  take  her  to 
Gunkit! 

Then  there  was  Miss  Maltby,  whose  father  had 
made  a  colossal  fortune  in  manufacturing  whiskey. 
She  was  pretty.  Her  bangs  were  very  enticing,  and 
her  blue  eyes  made  havoc  with  hearts.  I  was 
cast  as  her  lover  in  one  piece  we  played,  and  the 
rehearsals  were  quite  dangerous  to  my  peace  of 


ON    THE    POINT.  IQ 

mind.  She  could  not  help  inheriting  her  father's 
millions ;  but,  somehow,  money  made  in  that  way 
seemed  burdened  with  a  curse.  After  all,  there 
would  not  have  been  any  sympathy  between  us. 
She  was  a  giddy  doll,  fond  only  of  dancing  and 
flattery. 

1  think  I  deserve  some  credit  for  common-sense 
that  I  chose  as  I  did.  Of  course  the  struggle  for 
existence  has  been  harder,  as  my  uncle  mildly  pre 
dicted  it  would  be.  But  I  have  no  sneaking  sense 
of  shame  at  having  made  a  sordid  marriage.  I  re 
member  my  old  grandmother  frequently  saying,  — 

'•  Don't  marry  for  money :  marry  for  love,  but  be 
sure  you  love  where  there's  money." 

I  am  older  now  than  I  was,  and  perhaps  if  I  could 
only  have  the  benefit  of  my  own  experience  and 
begin  over  again  at  twenty-one  I  should  try  to 
adapt  myself  to  that  advice,  —  not  so  much  for  my 
own  sake,  of  course,  as  for  Katharine's !  She  might 
have  married  some  rich  broker  or  merchant ;  I  am 
sure  she  would  have  adorned  a  fortune. 

1  never  used  to  care  for  money  at  all.  It  wrould 
have  been  better  for  me  if  I  had  cared  more  for  it 
and  been  more  saving.  But  I  face  calmly  the 
prospect  of  being  poor  all  my  days.  I  have  no 
complaint  to  make  of  the  world.  It  is  my  own 
fault  and  misfortune  combined  that  has  made  me 
a  failure,  or  a  comparative  failure.  I  have  no 
patience  with  those  men  or  women  who  sulk  and 


20  ON    THE    rOINT. 

Crumble  because  the  world  does  not  appreciate  their 
genius.  Men  are  usually  taken  at  their  real  worth. 
If  my  novel  or  history,  if  my  poem  or  symphony,  if 
my  painting  or  statue  has  the  elements  of  popularity 
in  it,  there  will  be  no  question  of  its  success. 

Now,  for  instance,  I  have  always  been  bitten  by 
the  mania  for  writing  a  play.  I  see  people  of 
apparently  less  literary  talent  furnishing  the  stage 
with  successful  pieces.  Why  can't  I  ?  I  have 
tried  no  one  knows  how  many  times.  Several  have 
been  produced.  Naturally  I  have  known  many  man 
agers  and  many  actors,  and  they  have  given  me  every 
opportunity.  There  was  no  trouble  with  the  liter 
ary  quality  of  them.  The  critics  —  at  least  those  who 
knew  me  — spoke  respectfully  of  them;  but  the 
great  public  failed  to  be  moved.  I  could  n't  interest 
them.  I  don't  blame  the  public.  I  won't  say  1 
am  not  disappointed,  for  I  am  ;  but  I  am  not 
embittered.  That,  again,  is  not  to  my  credit,  for  I 
happen  to  have  that  nature,  and  rosy-winged  Hope 
still  lingers  in  my  Pandora  box.  Besides,  there  is 
my  Comic  Opera  which,  —  but  of  that,  later. 

I  will  try  not  to  say  anything  more  about  myself. 
1  will  only  add  that  I  am  of  medium  height,  and 
thin,  and  have  what  is  called  a  student's  stoop, 
which  I  have  tried  in  vain  to  overcome.  My  hair 
is  red,  and  looks  as  though  moths  had  meddled  with 
it  on  top.  My  nose  is  long  and  straight,  and  I 
wear  a  mustache  and  an  imperial.  There  is  noth- 


OA'    THE   POINT.  21 

ing  in  my  personal  appearance  to  be  vain  about, 
and  how  I  have  ever  succeeded  in  acquiring  a 
certain  vogue  in  society  is  a  mystery  to  me. 

One  more  thing  I  will  say.  This  may  explain  it 
in  part.  I  have  made  it  a  rule  of  my  life,  and 
have  found  it  easier,  to  say  kind  things  about 
people  than  unkind  things.  Perhaps  not  easier,  but 
more  satisfactory  ;  for  I  must  confess  to  a  certain  turn 
for  satire  and  irony,  but  I  have  tried  to  let  these 
flames  of  speech  be  lambent  and  not  corrosive. 

If  the  patient  reader,  taken  in  his  and  her  col 
lective  sense,  and  embodied,  like  a  composite 
photograph,  in  one,  or  at  most  two,  figures,  should 
accompany  me  home  from  my  office,  this  would  be 
the  way  in  which  my  five  children  would  formulate 
themselves :  before  we  had  reached  the  top  of  the 
hill  the  two  boys  would  be  on  us  with  a  whoop,  one 
or  both  on  their  bicycles.  Alfred  is  ten,  —  a  dark- 
haired,  brown-eyed  boy,  the  very  image  of  health 
and  fun  ;  Magnus,  Jr.,  aged  eight,  a  dreamy,  pen 
sive  nature  when  not  excited  by  the  ozone  of  his  out- 
of-doors  life  ;  he  has  light-brown  hair  and  blue  eyes. 
They  both  try  to  seize  me  by  the  right  hand,  and 
both  talk  at  once,  with  small  ideas  of  the  convention 
alities.  Mrs.  Merrithew  is  constantly  struggling  to 
keep  them  in  decent  clothes.  She  declares  that  she 
does  not  believe  there  are  two  boys  in  all  the  town 
that  go  through  their  clothes  with  greater  celerity.  I 
know  we  make  the  fortune  of  the  shoe-dealers,  and 


22  ON   THE   POINT. 

the  rubber  trust  declares  extra  dividends  on  the 
strength  of  our  demand  for  "gums."  Mrs.  Merri- 
thew  mourns  —  so  far  as  it  is  in  her  to  mourn 
because  she  can't  keep  Alfred's  finger-nails  clean, 
and  she  can 't  keep  his  hands  clean  or  his  hair 
brushed,  and  his  hat  is  always  on  the  back  of  his 
head.  Magnus,  Jr.,  takes  after  his  father  to  a 
greater  degree,  and  is  more  naturally  orderly. 
Spots  don't  show  on  him  so  suddenly  and  prema 
turely  and  permanently.  Shirt  waists  remain  on 
him  longer  untumbled. 

Enough  of  these  for  now;  you  will  meet  them 
again. 

Reaching  the  door  of  my  neat  little  house,  you 
will  find  standing  there,  with  her  hand  on  the  knob, 
little  Natalie,  a  child  of  four,  a  will-o'-the-wisp,  a 
veritable  enfant  terrible,  from  the  time  when  she 
first  lisped  words,  always  saying  the  wrong  thing; 
comical,  an  incarnate  joke  (as  her  mother  called 
her);  with  bewitching  bright  eyes,  an  absurd  pug 
nose,  and  a  smile  as  merry  as  a  sunbeam. 

Toddling  behind  her,  or  in  his  eagerness  sprawl 
ing  on  the  floor  of  the  hall  (unless,  unfortunately, 
kept  a  captive  by  his  doting  mamma),  is  Robert,  the 
baby,  a  fat,  dimpled  darling  of  two. 

Yes  ;  here  he  comes,  almost  dancing : 

"  I  's  goin'  to  sea-shore,  I  is,"  he  exclaimed,  in 
rapture  ;  but  his  sister  turns  on  him  clictatorially  : 

"  You  musn't  say  'I  is ; '  you  must  say  '  you 
am.' ' 


OA'    THE   POINT.  2$ 

I  never  see  these  two  little  ones  without  thinking 
sadly  of  the  three  who  lie  in  our  lot  in  the  grave 
yard.  If  they  had  lived,  I  don't  know  how  I 
should  have  fed  and  clothed  and  educated  them ; 
and  sometimes  I  murmur  (more  bitterly  than  about 
anything  else)  that  it  was  best  for  them. 

But  all  sad  thoughts  are  interrupted  by  the 
appearance  of  my  daughter  Margaret. 

She  comes  out  from  the  parlor.  I  am  not 
ashamed  that  people  should  know  she  is  my  favor 
ite.  When  she  was  little  they  used  to  say,  in  a  sort 
of  contemptuous  tone  of  voice, — 

u  Oh  !  papa's  girl,  is  she  ?  " 

At  first,  I  think  I  was  a  little  ashamed  that  my 
oldest  child  should  not  be  a  boy.  There  is  a  certain 
dignity  in  establishing  a  family  on  the  corner-stone 
of  the  male  heir.  I  had  seen  families  where  six  or 
seven  daughters  successively  disappointed  the  fond 
hopes  of  the  parents.  Such  a  nest  of  ewe  lambs 
(if  I  may  mix  a  metaphor)  is  always  a  pathetic  sight, 
and  I  trembled  lest  it  should  be  my  fate  to  establish 
some  domestic  female  college.  But  the  arrival  of 
two  boys,  Tommie  and  Willie,  dispelled  my  fears. 
I  saw  that  there  was  a  safeguard  in  having  my  eldest 
child  a  girl.  When  the  oldest  is  a  boy  and  the  next 
youngest  is  a  girl,  his  college  mates  are  apt  to  fall 
in  love  with  her,  if  she  has  any  pretensions  to 
beauty. 

But  Margaret ! 


CHAPTER    IV. 

MR.    MERRITHEW    INSINUATES     THAT     HIS     DAUGHTER 
MARGARET  IS  TO  BE  THE  HEROINE  OF  THE  STORY. 

Imagine  a  girl  of  nineteen,  with  a  fair  complexion, 
keen,  sparkling  gray  eyes  under  long  lashes,  even 
brows,  a  lovely  low  forehead  shaded  by  rebellious 
wavy  golden  hair,  a  delicately-arched,  aristocratic 
nose,  —  the  inherited  gift  of  her  maternal  grand 
mother,  —  a  mobile  mouth,  often  a  little  pouting, 
though  never  with  petulance ;  perfect  teeth,  the 
girlish  oval  of  her  face  showing  that  graceful, 
unbroken  line  that  artists  love  ;  a  neck  as  fair  and 
pure  in  its  outlines  as  a  lily,  and  upholding  the 
graceful  head  a  little  haughtily ;  straight  as  a  palm, 
and  already  showing  that  beautiful  development  of 
form  which  has  been  the  admiration  of  sculptors 
for  thousands  of  years  ;  a  slender  waist  yet  unspoilt 
by  any  artificial  aids ;  round  arms,  which  daily 
exercise  have  made  firm  and  strong  ;  a  rather  stately 
and  yet  unconscious  carriage,  — 

I  am  her  father,  and  I  know  that  it  does  not 
become  me  to  say  too  much  about  my  daughter 
Margaret.  But  I  know  also  that  as  she  passes 
along  the  street  in  that  sweet  unconsciousness  of 
her  beauty,  people  always  turn  and  look  at  her  a 
24 


O.Y    THE    PC/XT.  25 

second  time,  and  more  than  one  artist  among  my 
friends  has  besought  me  to  let  them  transfer  her 
beauty  to  canvas. 

But,  after  all,  great  beauty  of  features  and  form 
may  exist  in  a  woman  and  she  may  fail  to  please. 
There  is  something  that  \ve  call  "  expression  "  which 
is  vastly  better  than  beauty.  It  is  that  which 
makes  many  plain  and  even  homely  faces  attractive. 
My  daughter  Margaret  is  not  like  Tennyson's 
Maud.  The  play  of  vivacity,  the  mark  of  the  soul, 
the  beauty  of  expression  make  her  face  a  perpetual 
study  and  delight  for  all  who  see  her. 

I  have  sometimes  wondered  whether  her  mother 
did  not  feel  a  secret  twinge  of  jealousy  on  account 
of  my  admiration  and  worship  of  Margaret.  I 
could  not  help  it.  I  have  been  asked  if  I  was  not 
proud  of  my  children,  but  I  could  always  truthfully 
answer  ••  no."  Pride  does  not  enter  into  my  feelings 
towards  them.  I  look  upon  them  all,  without  ex 
ception,  as  merely  treasures  loaned,  and  liable  — 
as,  indeed,  happened  to  the  three  most  promising 
—  to  be  recalled. 

Margaret  seemed  to  me  such  a  perfect  creation 
that  I  lived  many  years  in  a  sort  of  mute  agony  of 
apprehension  lest  she  also  should  be  torn  from  me. 
Once  when  she  was  a  little  baby,  —  what  a  beauty 
she  was  even  then  !  Born  beautiful;  not  one  of  those 
dreadful  red,  lobstery,  wrinkled-up  deformities  that 
most  children  are  when  first  ushered  into  a  harsh. 


26  o.v  THE  roixr. 

cold  world,  —  once  when  she  was  a  wee  baby  I 
came  home  and  my  heart  stood  still  to  see  the 
doctor's  carriage  in  front  of  the  door,  for  I  had  left 
all  well  in  the  morning,  and  I  rushed  upstairs  and 
saw  her  lying  white  as  a  dead  child  on  my  wife's 
lap.  Then  when  she  had  the  whooping-cough  and 
the  measles  I  expected  to  lose  her,  but  she  was 
spared. 

Again,  when  we  were  visited  by  our  great  trial, 
she  also  was  taken  down  with  the  others,  but  she 
was  older  and  by  that  time  much  stronger,  and  she 
came  safely  through  it. 

What  a  strange  time  that  was !  I  never  laid 
claim  to  piety.  I  had  long  forgotten  to  pray,  or, 
rather,  had  laid  prayer  aside  as  a  childish  supersti 
tion  ;  but  when  my  children  —  four  of  them  —  lay 
all  so  hopelessly  ill,  I  remembered !  I  went  one 
day  into  the  woods  back  of  my  house,  and  there,  in 
a  solitude  as  complete  as  though  I  had  been  a 
hundred  miles  from  the  city,  —  one  of  those  magic 
spots  which  afterwards  the  Park  seized  and  dese 
crated  into  a  resort  for  all,  —  I  fell  on  my  face  and, 
in  utter  humiliation  of  spirit,  trying  to  make 
believe  that  I  believed,  I  turned  my  soul  toward 
that  God  whom  I,  even  at  the  time,  felt  took  no 
more  notice  of  my  appeal  than  the  crystalline  azure 
that  arched  cloudless  above  me. 

I  did  my  best.  I  must  be  color-blind  toward 
matters  spiritual.  That  very  day  my  second  daugh- 


O.Y    Till:    rO/\T.  27 

ter  died  —  little  Helen.  She  had  always  seemed 
not  for  this  world.  l>ut  a  marvellous  thing  happened 
just  before  she  died.  It  changed  my  ideas  in  many 
ways.  She  had  been  lying  unconscious  for  some 
hours.  Suddenly  she  roused  and  inquired  for  me. 

As  I  entered  I  heard  her  saying,  — 

••  Yes,  I'm  coming  ;    I'm  coming." 

My  heart  stood  still  with  a  sort  of  despairing 
horror.  I  thought  her  mind  was  wandering ;  but 
no.  As  soon  as  I  reached  her  bedside  she  recog 
nized  me  with  a  beaming  smile,  and  said,  — 

"Kiss  me,  papa.  I  am  going  a  long  way;  but  I 
am  not  afraid  to  go,  for  they  want  me  to  come." 

I  don't  know  what  she  saw ;  but  such  a  look  of 
joy  and  delight  came  into  her  eyes  !  And  when 
she  died  it  hovered  there  for  a  moment,  and  de 
parting  left  her  sweet  face  as  peaceful  as  a  dream. 

Death  was  thus  robbed  of  all  its  terror,  and  its 
mystery  was  to  me  increased  ten-fold.  Before,  I 
was  inclined  to  be  an  utter  materialist,  and  it 
seemed  incredible  that,  after  the  body  perished,  that 
which  was  so  utterly  dependent  on  the  functions  of 
the  body  should  retain  its  identity.  But  it  pleases 
me  to  hope  now,  —  I  can't  use  any  stronger  word, 
for  of  course  that  blissful  look  in  my  little  Helen's 
eyes  may  have  been  caused  by  physical  hallucina 
tions  so  that  I  can't  say  I  believe,  —  but  I  hope  in 
a  life  beyond  this.  Nor  does  it  seem  illogical  to 
cherish  such  a  hope.  I  envy  those  who  can 
believe. 


28  olv  THE  roixr. 

Margaret,  as  I  said,  was  nineteen ;  and  now  a 
new  form  of  dread  was  beginning  to  assail  my 
heart.  Such  a  pearl  was  not  going  to  be  left  in  the 
home-oyster.  I  saw  with  apprehension  that  envious 
eyes,  covetous  eyes,  were  beginning  to  rove  in  our 
direction. 

"  No  girl  ought  to  be  married  before  she  is  at 
least  twenty-eight,"  was  now  my  favorite  dictum, 
and  I  fortified  it  with  arguments  that  I  considered 
irresistible.  Even  that  would  leave  me  only  nine 
years  of  possession  !  I  felt  in  my  bones  that  it 
would  not  be  undisputed  possession.  And  how 
swiftly  nine  years  pass  ! 

But  Margaret  would  throw  her  arms  around 
my  neck  and  declare  that  she  would  never  leave 
her  darling  papa  ;  that  her  piano  was  her  husband  ; 
she  was  wedded  to  music,  and  would  never,  never, 
never  care  enough  for  any  man  to  marry  him. 
Her  papa  and  her  art  were  enough  for  her. 
These  demonstrations  pleased  me,  but  did  not  allay 
my  apprehensions. 

One  thing  amazed  and  amused  me :  Margaret 
knew  a  good  deal  more  than  I  did,  —  not  in  every 
direction,  of  course,  but  in  many  ways.  For  one 
thing,  she  had  been  abroad.  When  she  was  in  her 
eighteenth  year  her  godmother  had  put  it  to  us  as 
a  personal  favor  to  allow  Margaret  to  go  to  F,urope 
as  her  companion. 

I    had    been    afraid    of    some    such    benevolent 


ON    THE    I'OJXT.  29 

scheme  when  Mrs.  Merrithew  proposed  asking  Miss 
Askelon  to  act  in  that  capacity.  I  did  not  believe 
in  the  ceremony  of  christening,  anyway.  But  my 
wife  declared  I  was  a  heathen,  and  as  I  had  agreed 
that  all  matters  touching  the  religious  training  of 
our  children  should  be  in  her  hands,  I  consented 
with  as  good  grace  as  possible.  Miss  Askelon,  who 
was  an  old  family  friend,  was  reputed  to  have  more 
money  than  she  could  spend.  The  only  thing  that 
I  knew  against  her  was  that  she  had  a  lap-dog  for  a 
pet,  which  she  adorned  with  a  collar  studded  with 
diamonds  or  rhinestones,  and  pampered  the  beast 
with  satin-lined  blankets,  and  generally  made  a  fool 
of  herself  over  him.  But  I  suppose  she  had  to 
give  rein  to  the  maternal  instinct  that  stirred  in  her, 
and  as  I  knew  her  well  enough  to  know  that  she 
knew  that  the  implied  compliment  of  adopting  her 
into  my  rising  family  as  a  godmother  was  perfectly 
free  from  sordid  motives,  I  asked  her ;  and  I  will 
say  to  her  credit  that  she  did  not  attempt  to  indulge 
in  her  prerogative  to  any  humiliating  extent.  I 
delicately  insinuated  that  such  abstention  from  fre 
quent  gifts  was  my  earnest  desire. 

So  it  was  arranged  that  Margaret  should  travel 
with  Miss  Askelon ;  and  I  was  assured  that  the  co 
partnership  was  mutually  agreeable.  My  daughter 
was  enabled,  with  her  quick  ear  and  lively  under 
standing,  to  acquire  an  admirable  knowledge  of 
German  and  French,  and  the  winter  in  Italy  gave 


3o  o.v  Tin-:  roixr. 

her  a  fair  practice  in  Italian.  She  also  enjoyed 
some  first-class  instruction  in  music. 

She  came  home  quite  unspoilt,  and  Miss  Askelon 
had  the  satisfaction  of  having  proved  herself  a 
most  judicious  duenna. 

I  found  Margaret's  knowledge  of  languages  veiy 
useful,  and  I  was  proud  to  put  myself  under  her 
tuition.  Even  now  I  was  studying  German  with 
her,  and  making  fair  progress,  though  my  hopelessly 
bad  pronunciation  I  know  grated  on  her  nerves. 

Behold  her,  then,  coming  with  her  graceful  step, 
from  the  parlor,  and  holding  an  open  letter  in  her 
hand. 

"  Mein  Heber  papa"  she  says  —  has  she  not  an 
admirable  voice,  low  and  sweet,  and  delicately 
modulated  ?  — "  mcin  licbcr  piipa,  guess  whom  1 
have  a  letter  from  ? " 

'•  //'  kcnnc  nikt"  I  reply,  in  the  same  guttural 
tongue,  and  feel  proud  of  my  success.  IJut  1  see 
from  the  expression  of  her  face  that  I  have  dis 
graced  her  teaching,  and  so  I  relapse  into  the 
vernacular,  which  for  some  occult  reason  comes 
easier  to  me.  "  I  cannot  guess.  I  never  guessed 
a  conundrum  in  my  life.  Tell  me,  my  love,  from 
whom  have  you  a  letter  ?  " 

"  From  Adele ;  and  what  wonderful  news  do  you 
think  it  contains  ?  " 

"Why,  my  dear  girl,  do  you  insist  on  pestering 
me  so?  I  can't  imagine,  unless  it  is  she  is 
engaged." 


<9A~   THE   POINT.  31 

-  Bravo,  papa !  you  came  pretty  near  it  that 
time.  She  writes  that  she  has  been  awfully 
disappointed  in  her  friends.  She  was  always 
very  proud  of  her  men  friends.  They  were  on 
such  frank,  genuine,  simple  terms ;  but  she  says 
that  suddenly  they  all,  with  one  accord,  became 
changed,  and  one  after  another  proposed  to 
her ;  and,  papa,  she  is  in  despair,  because  she  likes 
them  all  so  much  as  friends,  and  she  does  not  know 
which  she  likes  best,  and  she  does  not  know 
whether  she  likes  any  one  well  enough  to  become 
his  wife." 

'•  Margaret,  my  darling,"  I  began  sententiously, 
seizing  this  excellent  opportunity,  "  you  see  the 
danger  of  cultivating  anything  like  a  Platonic 
friendship  with  a  young  man.  Never  do  it.  Be 
ware  of  them." 

I  am  afraid  I  must  have  seemed  a  very  dragon  to 
some  of  our  young  neighbors.  More  than  once  I 
congratulated  myself  that  the  trip  to  Europe  had 
served  to  erect  a  very  effectual  barrier  around  her ; 
she  went  away  a  girl,  she  came  back  a  well-devel 
oped  woman,  with  a  knowledge  of  her  own  powers. 

"  Well,  Margarita  mia"  I  go  on  to  say,  "  has  your 
mother  done  anything  further  about  getting  ready  ? 
We  want  to  go  next  week,  you  know." 

"  Have  you  engaged  staterooms  ? " 

"Indeed  I  have." 

"  Will  the  boat  stop  at  the  Point  ?  " 


32  GLV    THE    rolXT. 

"  I  had  a  note  to-day  from  the  manager,  stating 
that  for  ten  full-pay  passengers  the  boat  would 
stop." 

>v  What  is  that  ? "  ask  Mrs.  Merrithew,  entering 
with  the  baby  in  her  arms. 

"  They  '11  stop  if  there  are  ten  of  us,"  I  repeat. 

••  Well,  there  '11  be  nine  of  us,"  says  my  wife,  as 
though  she  always  kept  a  mental  inventory  of  the 
family.  I,  for  my  part,  had  always  to  count  my 
responsibilities  on  my  ten  fingers. 

"  Ten  full-pay  passengers,  my  dear  !  ten  full-pay 
passengers  !  Alfred  and  Magnus,  Jr.,  will  only  count 
as  one,  and  Natalie  and  Robert  will  go  scot-free." 

"  Now  I  think  that  is  hard  luck,"  Mrs.  Merri 
thew  begins,  but  I  suggest, — 

"We  might  wait  till  Natalie  and  Robert  are 
twelve.  I  believe  they  have  to  pay  full  rate  after 
that  mature  age." 

"  Ho\v  far  shall  we  have  to  drive  ?  "  asks  Mrs. 
Merrithew,  ignoring  my  weak  attempt  at  irony. 

"  The  agent  told  me  the  nearest  stop  to  the  Point 
is  about  three  miles." 

"That's  not  very  bad." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Margaret,  "  I  saw  Tom  Romayn  in 
the  street  to-day,  and  he  had  been  to  the  Point  on  a 
yacht.  He  remembers  it  perfectly  well.  He  says 
it's  awfully  pretty  there." 

"My  dear  girl,"  I  remark,  "that  is  twice  within 
ten  minutes  that  you  have  used  the  word  '  aw- 
fullv.' " 


O.V    THE    POIXT.  33 

"  Don't  interrupt  her,"  says  her  mother.  "  Go 
on,  my  darling ;  what  more  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  He  thought  he  recollected  the  cottage,  but 
was  n't  quite  sure." 

"  Well,"  I  interpose,  "  that 's  very  definite. 
Young  people  certainly  are  not  so  observing  as  they 
used  to  be." 

"  But,  papa  — 

''Don't  interrupt  we"  I  retort.  "I  have  very 
definite  information.  I  found  out  to-day  who  have 
summer  places  on  the  Point,  and  I  saw  a  man  who 
will  be  our  next-door  neighbor." 

'•  What  did  he  say  ? "  chime  both  ladies  in 
chorus. 

"  Magnus,  Jr.,  keep  out  of  my  pockets  !  I  have 
nothing  whatever  for  you.  Look  out,  Katharine, 
the  baby  will  have  that  vase  !  " 

It  was  too  late.  The  insatiable  fingers  of  the 
baby  had  reached  over  his  mother's  shoulder  and 
grasped  a  large  Japanese  vase.  There  was  a  crash, 
and  the  floor  was  littered  with  fragments  large  and 
small.  The  noise  frightened  the  baby,  who  began 
to  bellow.  Natalie  always  cried  when  Robert  did. 
Alfred  and  Magnus,  Jr.,  in  their  excitement,  ran 
together  with  a  head-on  collision.  I  put  my  fingers 
in  my  ears.  Such  a  quartet  of  lamentation  was  too 
much  for  me. 

"  Accidents  will  happen  in  the  best  regulated 
families,"  I  remarked,  when  order  had  been  re- 


34  O.Y    THE    POINT. 

stored.  There  is  nothing  like  the  practical  wisdom 
preserved  and  crystallized  in  popular  proverbs. 

"  I  should  have  felt  much  worse  about  it  if  the 
vase  had  been  one  of  a  pair,"  said  my  wife,  cheer 
fully. 

"One  of  a  pair!"  I  exclaim.  "That's  just  the 
trouble!  It  is  the  only  one  of  a  pair!  Don't  you 
know  you  bought  them  at  that  Japanese  auction  ? " 

The  word  "  auction  "  always  annoys  Mrs.  Mer- 
rithew.  She  has  had  such  extraordinary  experi 
ences  at  auctions.  \Ve  have  a  great  pile  of  green 
plates  that  represent  a  small  fortune.  They  started 
off  at  two  cents  apiece,  and  Mrs.  Merrithew  bid 
boldly  and  followed  up  her  advantage,  till  finally 
they  were  knocked  down  to  her  at  an  exorbitant 
price  and  she  had  to  take  them  all,  —  I  don't  know 
how  many  dozen.  This  pair  of  vases  was  another 
trophy  of  the  same  kind. 

I  could  appreciate  her  cheerfulness  in  bidding 
farewell  to  a  piece  of  bric-h-brac  that  had  been  a 
constant  reminder  of  indiscreet  zeal.  I  remember 
she  was  just  as  cheerful  when  the  mate  came  to 
grief. 

Just  at  this  juncture  the  general  housework  girl 

—  we  could   not  afford   a   waitress,  though   it  was 

Mrs.  Merrithew's  ambition  to  have  one  who  should 

wear   a   cap  —  came   to    the    door    and    announced 

dinner. 

Anne,  by  the  way,   was  quite  a  character.      She 


ON    77/Jl    rOIXT.  35 

was  proud  of  being  a  Yankee,  born  down  East. 
She  informed  me  one  day  that  she  did  not  think 
the  world  was  managed  right. 

"  I'm  an  ignostic,"  she  added. 

"  An  ignostic  !  "  I  exclaimed  ;  "  that  is  worse  than 
being  a  sceptic." 

"Dyspeptic!  No,  I  aint  dyspeptic,"  she  ex 
claimed,  indignantly,  —  she  was  troubled  with  deaf 
ness,  though  she  did  not  like  to  admit  the  fact. 
"My  stomach  is  just  like  cast-iron.  I  could  digest 
a  horseshoe." 

I  notice  that  there  is  a  sort  of  occult  relationship, 
a  symbolical  connection,  oftentimes,  between  words 
that  rhyme,  and  it  struck  me  at  the  time*  that 
sceptic  and  dyspeptic  paired  off  with  a  certain 
opportuneness. 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  an  agnostic  ?  "  I  asked, 
venturing  to  correct  the  slight  imperfection  of  her 
pronunciation. 

"  Oh,"  she  replied,  briskly,  "  I  read  and  pon 
dered  ;  read  and  pondered." 

Cassandra,  the  nurse-girl,  came  and  relieved  Mrs. 
Merrithew  of  Robert.  This  personage  was  Eng 
lish, — a  ponderous,  clumsy,  good-natured,  stupid,  but 
faithful  girl,  young  and  overgrown,  with  very  pale 
straw-colored  hair,  a  nondescript  nose,  indolent 
eyes.  She  had  lived  almost  all  her  life  in  America, 
and  yet  she  had,  by  inheritance,  probably,  the  in 
eradicable  habit  of  exchanging  her  aspirates.  She 


36  UA    y -//A  roi\T. 

was  quite  impartial.  What  she  robbed  one  word 
of  she  restored  to  another,  like  a  very  Robin  Hood 
of  philology.  Even  the  children  sometimes  caught 
the  infection.  One  day  I  asked  little  Natalie  where 
the  boys  were,  and  she  said,  in  her  comical  way,  — 

"  They  are  hall  around  the  'ouse." 

At  dinner,  Yaqoub,  the  tortoise-shell  cat,  and 
Ruby,  the  lazy  old  setter,  occupied  their  usual 
places. 

I  believe  I  have  now  introduced  all  my  immediate 
family. 


CHAPTER   V. 

WHKREIX    MR.     MERKITHEW    TREATS    GRAPHICALLY 
OF    A    SHORT    OCEAN    VOYAGE. 

THE  fated  day  for  our  hegira  dawned.  It  was 
the  second  day  of  July.  The  trunks,  two 
cribs,  the  baby-carriage  and  a  hamper  were  to  go 
on  the  noon  express.  Mrs.  Merrithew's  fore 
thought  seemed  to  cover  everything.  In  those 
trunks  was  clothing  against  all  possible  changes  of 
weather ;  extra  boots  and  rubbers  enough  to  stock  a 
shoe-shop;  reading  matter, — from  novels  for  me, 
up  to  picture-books  for  the  baby ;  playthings  for 
the  boys.  I  myself,  by  an  unprecedented  act  of 


38  ON    THE    POINT. 

providence,  had  laid  in  a  stock  of  fireworks  against 
the  glorious  Fourth.  That  was  included. 

Mrs.  Merrithew  mildly  protested  when,  at  the 
last  moment,  the  trunks  being  all  ready  to  be 
locked  and  strapped,  I  brought  out  a  quantity  of 
things  that  ought  to  have  been  put  in  the  bottom  of 
the  trunks.  But  she  managed,  with  her  woman's 
ingenuity,  to  store  the  most  of  them  in  the  baby- 
carriage,  at  the  imminent  risk,  as  I  afterwards  dis 
covered,  of  breaking  the  springs. 

The  trunks  duly  departed,  and  the  house  seemed 
already  empty  and  deserted.  At  four  o'clock  the 
Merrithew  procession  started  down  the  hill  to  take 
the  car  for  the  boat.  It  was  an  imposing  array.  1 
led  the  way,  carrying  the  valise,  and  a  shawl-strap 
containing,  besides  innumerable  wraps,  four  um 
brellas  and  a  fishing-rod.  Next  came,  at  my  very 
heels,  Alfred  and  Magnus,  Jr.,  appropriately  loaded 
according  to  their  several  ability.  Alfred  gingerly 
held  the  basket  in  which  Yaqoub,  the  cat,  was  be 
stowed;  a  neighbor  had  agreed  to  harbor  Ruby 
for  the  summer.  Margaret,  dressed  in  a  very  be 
coming  gray  travelling  suit,  followed,  leading  little 
Natalie,  —  an  ornamental  pair.  Surely  it  was 
enough  to  require  of  Margaret  that  she  should  look 
after  her  sister.  Natalie,  however,  clutched  a 
dilapidated  cloth  doll,  named  Sukey,  which  no 
arguments  could  induce  her  to  relinquish,  lie- 
hind  them  marched,  with  her  usual  staid  delibera- 


ON    THE   POINT.  39 

lion,  which  would  never  have  been  quickened, 
even  for  a  fire,  Cassandra,  the  nurse-maid,  with 
her  absurdly  fat  arms  holding  the  lively  Robert. 
Mrs.  Merrithew  brought  up  the  rear,  having  in 
tow  the  cook  and  maid-of-all-work ;  not  our  faithful 
but  half-crazy  Anne,  who  had  given  out  at  the  last 
moment,  but  a  very  fair  and  very  ignorant  Swede, 
named  Selma,  who  had  been  bribed  by  the  promise 
of  too  high  wages  to  accompany  us  into  exile. 

The  responsibility  of  getting  them  all  safely  on 
board  of  the  car  made  the  sweat  bead  my  brow.  It 
had  been  left  for  Selma  to  bring  along  the  two  well- 
packed  lunch  baskets.  Just  as  the  car  was  about 
to  start  my  wife  discovered  that  one  of  the  lunch 
baskets  had  been  left  behind.  After  a  hurried  con 
sultation,  while  the  conductor  had  his  hand  on  the 
strap  to  start,  it  was  decided  that  there  would  be 
time  for  me  to  go  back  and  get  it.  If  I  ran  I 
could  follow  on  the  next  car  but  one. 

I  reached  the  wharf  with  only  a  narrow  margin 
of  time  before  the  boat  started.  Mrs.  Merrithew 
knew  me  of  old,  and  had  not  worried,  but  the  chil 
dren  were  half-frantic  with  anxiety  lest  I  should  be 
too  late. 

The  trunks,  which  must  have  been  delivered 
together,  were  scattered  all  about  the  shed.  The 
man  whose  duty  it  was  to  check  them  was  almost 
distracted  by  the  various  calls  of  anxious  passen 
gers.  He  was  crosser  than  a  caged  bear,  and  quite 
impudent. 


40  O.Y    THE   POINT. 

The  warning  bell  was  ringing  before  I  succeeded 
in  getting  our  trunks  checked.  I  bribed  a  porter 
to  run  the  carriage  on  board  and  store  it  carefully. 
Afterwards  I  saw  it  piled  up  on  a  heap  of  merchan 
dise,  with  my  precious  belongings,  stowed  so 
carefully  under  the  burlap,  threatening  every  in 
stant  to  burst  forth  and  be  scattered  broadcast. 
One  trunk  was  missing ;  it  was  that  of  Selma,  the 
Swedish  girl,  who  I  found  could  not  speak  enough 
English  to  make  her  meaning  known.  Even  that 
was  found  at  last,  wrongly  addressed,  and  tied  up 
with  enough  hemp  rope  to  hang  a  corsair. 

The  boat  was  soon  under  way,  steaming  down  the 
harbor.  The  sun  was  still  two  hours  high  and 
shining  in  cloudless  splendor.  Almost  all  the 
population  of  the  boat  found  itself  on  deck.  Old 
acquaintances  were  comparing  notes  as  they  met. 
Strangers  were  inquiring  the  names  of  the  islands 
and  forts.  Children  were  dodging  between  people's 
legs,  and  waking  anxieties  in  parents'  fond  hearts 
lest  their  darlings  should  tumble  off  the  unrailed 
deck.  I  have  no  doubt  that  many  a  grumpy  bach 
elor,  annoyed  by  their  noisy  demonstrations,  wished 
heartily  that  some  such  punishment  would  befall 
them. 

My  own  attempts  at  discipline  failed  dismally. 
They  generally  do.  Oftentimes  my  wife,  in  spite 
of  her  tact,  will  say  something  that  takes  the  wind 
out  of  my  sails  when  I  wish  to  be  most  impressive. 


ON    THE    rOlXT.  41 

Sometimes,  on  seeing  me  serious,  she  will  smile  at 
just  the  wrong  moment. 

This  thing  I  am  sure  of :  It  does  no  good  to  keep 
scolding  children.  They  get  to  mind  it  no  more 
than  a  young  eagle  minds  the  roaring  of  a  storm. 
But  when  I  attempt  discipline  I  don't  like  to  have 
interference. 

For  instance,  Alfred  was  running  about  on  the 
deck,  having  a  delightful  time.  \Ye  had  got  out 
where  considerable  wind  was  blowing,  and  a  sudden 
gust  took  his  straw  hat  from  his  brown  head  and 
sent  it  flying  overboard,  in  spite  of  the  attempts  of 
one  or  two  people  to  catch  it. 

"  Alfred,"  I  cried,  standing  up  and  trying  to  be 
impressive;  "Alfred  Merrithew,  how  could  you  be 
so  careless !  You  are  a  miserable  little  rascal ! 
That  was  a  new  — 

The  words  were  not  out  of  my  mouth  when  a  sim 
ilar  squall  came  along  and  dashed  my  own  new  hat 
from  my  head  and  sent  it  also  spinning  over  the 
dancing  waves.  I  watched  it  filling  and  sinking 
into  the  sea,  like  the  golden  Goblet  in  Longfel 
low's,  —  no,  Heine's  poem.  My  countenance  must 
have  been  very  rueful.  But  I  had  nothing  more 
to  say  about  carelessness. 

However,  I  observe  that  the  faults  that  annoy  us 
the  most  in  our  children,  those  to  which  we  are 
most  merciless,  are  our  own  especial  faults.  We 
dislike  to  see  them  reproduced.  That  is  one  of  the 


42  ON    THE    POIXT. 

wholesome  disciplines  of  paternity.  This  I  know : 
My  boy,  with  his  thick,  curly  brown  locks,  was 
very  picturesque  bareheaded ;  while  my  poor  red 
head,  with  its  straggly,  thin  hair,  was  lamentably 
deficient  in  dignity,  and  I  had  not  even  a  cap  to 
replace  my  loss.  I  was  afraid  I  should  have  to  tie 
•a.  handkerchief  around  my  scalp,  or  else  get  cold  in 
my  head. 

I  was  glad  enough  that  Margaret  did  not  witness 
my  discomfiture.  Just  before  this  episode  occurred 
the  Captain  came  along.  He  was  an  old  acquaint 
ance  of  mine,  and  stopped  to  shake  hands.  Of 
course  I  was  proud  to  introduce  him  to  my  family. 
I  knew  that  he  had  a  very  susceptible  heart  and 
was  a  great  favorite  with  the  fair  sex;  so  it  was  no 
surprise  when  he  asked  Margaret  if  she  would  not 
like  to  go  and  sit  in  the  wheel-house,  that  being  the 
one  great  distinction  which  the  Captain  can  bestow 
on  favored  friends.  The  Captain  is  very  tall  and 
fine-looking,  with  a  long  iron-gray  beard ;  his  new 
uniform  also  makes  him  the  observed  of  all 
observers.  I  don't  wonder,  though,  that  he  felt 
proud  as  he  conducted  my  Margaret  carefully 
through  the  swarming  load  of  passengers,  none  of 
whom  failed  to  turn  and  watch  the  distinguished 
pair  out  of  sight,  and  wonder  (I  doubt  not)  who 
that  beautiful  girl  could  be. 

I  did  not  have  to  wear  the  handkerchief,  for  two 
young  men  —  acquaintances  of  ours  —  soon  came 


,   OA-  THE  POIXT.  43 

to  me,  each  most  politely  offering  to  provide  me 
with  a  travelling  cap.  I  thought  I  detected  the 
secret  motive  of  this  generous  politeness,  especially 
as  I  perceived  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  these 
youths  to  attach  themselves  to  my  party.  I  really 
don't  believe  they  felt  as  much  interest  as  they 
manifested  in  the  baby,  and  they  put  up  with  alto 
gether  too  much  supineness  with  the  impertinences 
of  the  boys,  who,  of  course,  insisted  upon  hanging 
on  them  and  relieving  them  of  their  watches,  and 
indulging  in  other  familiarities  eliciting  my  darkest 
frowns. 

We  had  our  dinner  on  deck,  Margaret  having  now 
returned  from  the  pilot-house,  full  of  praise  of  the 
Captain's  politeness.  The  true  inwardness  of  my 
charitable  young  friends'  behavior  toward  me  now 
appeared  :  one  was  eager  to  add  a  contribution  of 
fruit,  and  joined  forces  with  us ;  the  other,  who 
declared  that  he  had  already  dined,  gallantly  insisted 
on  serving  as  a  sort  of  major-domo.  Both,  with  a 
shrewdness  that  I  would  not  have  given  them  credit 
for,  devoted  themselves  assiduously  to  —  Mrs.  Mer- 
rithew !  Through  attention  to  the  mother  they 
hoped  to  make  a  good  impression  on  the  daughter. 

The  sea  was  as  calm  as  a  mill-pond ;  except  for 
the  slight  jarring  caused  by  the  paddle-wheels,  there 
was  no  motion  whatever.  I  began  to  regret  the 
money  wasted  on  "  bromide  of  sodium,"  with  which, 
on  the  recommendation  of  a  physician,  I  had  liber- 


44  O 

ally  dosed  the  family,  for  a  preventive  of  nuil  dc 
mcr  The  sun  went  down  behind  the  hills.  The 
air,  after  the  intense  heat  of  the  day,  was  deliciously 
cool.  The  baby  went  to  sleep  in  his  nurse's  arms, 
and  his  mother  let  him  stay  on  deck. 

If  I  had  not  had  in  my  breast-pocket  a  package 
of  unpaid  bills,  and  in  my  heart  the  consciousness 
of  inability  to  meet  them,  I  should  have  been  the 
happiest  man  on  the  boat.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
I  was  conscious  of  integrity  ;  I  meant  to  pay  those 
bills,  even  though  I  subjected  myself  to  the  humili 
ation  of  obliging  my  creditors  to  wait.  Besides,  my 
credit  was  good,  as  my  coal  dealer,  of  whom  I  had 
just  procured  the  next  winter's  supply  of  fuel,  kindly 
assured  me.  So  I  put  aside  disagreeable  thoughts, 
surrendered  myself  to  the  witching  influence  of  the 
fragrant  cigar  which  one  of  our  officious  young 
friends  insisted  on  thrusting  upon  me,  and  listened 
to  the  gay  talk  flashing  back  and  forth  among  the 
party. 

Several  other  acquaintances  had  brought  their 
camp-stools  into  our  circle.  One  was  an  elderly 
gentleman  of  distinguished  presence,  with  a  promi 
nent  Roman  nose,  who  was  very  impressive  in  his 
slow  and  stately  utterance  and  his  habit  of  rolling 
the  letter  "  r."  He  had  met  my  daughter  at  Aix 
and  they  were  bringing  up  a  store  of  reminiscences. 
At  such  times  I  felt  the  disadvantage  of  the  narrow 
circle  in  which  I  had  been  compelled  by  fate  and 
my  own  improvidence  to  move. 


o.v  THE  roixr.  45 

"You've  been  across,  haven't  you,  Merrithew  ? " 
demanded  Mr.  Parkinton,  with  that  tone  of  confi 
dent  expectation  of  an  affirmative  answer,  so  hard 
to  deny. 

"  No,''  I  replied,  as  jauntily  as  possible.  "  No,  I 
have  all  the  instincts  of  the  migratory  bird,  but 
powers  mightier  than  I  have  compelled  me  to  be  a 
brachypod." 

'•  What 's  a  brachypod,  papa  ?  "  asked  Alfred. 

I  am  afraid  I  was  not  quite  certain,  myself,  of  its 
exact  nature ;  so,  ignoring  my  son's  laudable  endeav 
or  to  get  instruction  from  the  paternal  fount,  I 
went  on  with  a  hopeless  mixture  of  metaphors, — 

"  No,  my  dear  Mr.  Parkinton,  a  ship  that  is 
anchored  with  a  bower-anchor  and  four  or  five 
kedge-anchors,  does  not  take  long  voyages.'' 

I  remember  once  giving  a  lecture  on  Portuguese 
history  and  literature,  a  subject  to  which  I  had 
given  some  study,  and  after  the  lecture,  a  dear  old 
lady  came  up  to  me  and  said,  in  her  softest  tones  of 
Mattery,— 

"  Oh  !  Mr.  Merrithew,  you  must  have  spent  a  long 
time  in  Portugal.''  I  felt  the  color  come  into  my 
face  as  if  I  had  been  detected  in  some  flagrant 
deception  as  I  replied,  with  frank  honesty,  which  I 
hope  (and  certainly  try  to  impress  on  my  children 
as  an  example),  is  one  of  my  strong  points, — 

"  No,  madame,  I  have  never  set  foot  on  the 
shores  of  Lusitania."  And  I  shall  never  forget  the 


46  o.v  THE  roixr. 

tone  in  which  she  said  the  one  monosyllable  "oh  !  " 
expressing  in  it  contempt  and  disappointment,  and 
a  certain  indignation  at  having  been  deceived. 
She  turned  her  back  on  me  and  came  no  more  to 
my  lectures;  and  I  have  very  good  evidence  that  it 
was  she  who  prevented  me  from  repeating  them 
before  a  woman's  club  in  a  neighboring  town.  1 
harbor  no  resentment  against  her.  I  have  even 
forgotten  her  name.  I  here  publicly  record  my 
forgiveness  of  her,  in  somewhat  the  same  indefinite 
way  in  which  we  are  requested  to  offer  prayers  for 
the  safety  of  some  person  exposed  to  the  perils  of 
the  deep,  but  known  only  to  the  rector. 

The  value  of  such  indefinite  and  unapplied  prayer 
must  be  problematical. 

"  Er-r,  we  were  talking  about  the  prronunciation  of 
English,"  said  Mr.  Parkinton,  politely,  willing  to 
draw  me  into  the  conversation.  "  I  was  just  re- 
marrrking  to  yourr  daughterr  that  the  purerest 
English  spoken  in  the  worrld  is  spoken  by  the 
cultivated  Bostonian.  They  have  fewerr  peculiarr- 
ities,"  he  repeated,  sententiously. 

Margaret  suggested  that  there  were  great  differ 
ences  in  the  way  English  was  spoken  by  the 
English  themselves.  An  observation  so  profound 
could  not  help  producing  its  effect,  and  its  effect  on 
Mr.  Parkinton  took  the  form  of  a  compliment,  in 
which  he  soothed  my  pride  by  stating  that  my 
daughter  was  generally  supposed  at  Aix  to  be  an 


av  THE  ruj.\"r.  47 

English  girl,  —  her  complexion,  he  added,  was  so 
fresh  and  her  voice  so  low. 

I  looked  at  Margaret  with  a  little  anxiety,  but  I 
am  glad  to  say  that  it  is  her  nature  to  shed  compli 
ments  and  Mattery  as  a  duck  sheds  water.  She 
paid  no  attention,  but  Went  on, — 

••  I  heard  an  English  earl  say  '  fawncy '  and  an 
English  duchess  say  '  fahncy  '  and  a  bishop's  wife 
say  '  fancy.'  And  I  heard  more  than  one  English 
man  say  '  I  'm  goin'  daown  taown.'  " 

Here  I  was  able  to  add  something  confirmatory 
of  that  supposedly  Yankee  sound  of  '  ou.'  " 

••  When  the  late  Richard  Monckton  Milnes  was 
over  here,  after  receiving  his  title,  some  one  asked 
him  if  he  pronounced  it  Lord  Hoton  or  Howton. 
•  Oh,'  said  he,  •  Haoughton.'  " 

Pronunciation  of  English  was  quite  a  hobby  of 
mine,  and  I  thought  this  would  be  a  fine  opportunity 
of  airing  my  theory  that  it  was  a  benefit  to  the  lan 
guage  to  have  different  parts  adopt  slightly  different 
pronunciations,  —  how  it  tickets  a  New  Yorker,  for 
instance,  to  say  "  tschtihtsch  "  for  "church."  But  I 
did  not  get  my  chance  to  bring  out  any  of  my  store 
of  illustrations,  for  just  here  it  was  decided  that  the 
boys  must  turn  in  ;  and  when  that  ceremony  had 
been  safely  accomplished  and  I  returned  to  the 
deck,  I  found  the  molecules  of  humanity  had 
arranged  themselves  in  accordance  with  a  more 
subtle  chemical  affinity.  The  two  young  men,  as 


48  o.v  THE  roixr. 

assiduous  as  ever,  were  telling  Margaret  stories  and 
rapidly  growing  sentimental.  The  air  had  grown 
much  cooler,  amply  justifying  me  (so  I  thought)  in 
suggesting  that  she,  too,  might  like  to  go  below. 

"Oh,  no,  papa!  I'm  perfectly  warm  and  I'm  not 
sleepy  at  all  yet.  Is  n't  it  a  glorious  night  ?  " 

Yes,  it  was  a  glorious  night,  the  heavens  thick- 
sown  with  stars,  the  great  ship  seeming  itself 
almost  suspended  in  ether,  as  it  sent  out  phospho 
rescent  star-shoots ;  the  cities  on  the  shore  also 
flashed  their  jewels  of  electric  lights,  while  here  and 
there  a  lighthouse  gleamed  calmly  like  a  planet. 
It  was  hard  to  tell  where  the  sea  ended  and  the  sky 
began. 

Yes,  it  was  a  glorious  night,  and  I  said  to 
myself,  — 

'•  O  Youth !  buoyant  with  hope  and  courage, 
untrammelled  by  a  doubt!  how  happy  it  is!  It 
comes  but  once  and  it  vanishes  so  quickly  away  ! 
Enjoy  it  while  it  lasts !  " 

The  tears  stood  in  my  eyes,  for  as  I  looked  on 
those  two  young  men  so  eagerly  listening  to 
Margaret's  light,  gay  banter,  so  anxious  to  make 
themselves  agreeable,  I  seemed  again  to  see  myself 
in  similar  fashion  sitting  on  the  deck  with  a  lovely 
girl  —  how  many  years  ago  !  And  I  had  not  the 
heart  to  disturb  the  innocent  little  flirtation  born 
of  the  summer  night  and  of  youth  and  beauty. 

I   was  interrupted  in   these  unselfish  meditations 


OAT    THE    POINT.  49 

by  Cassandra  coming  in  all  haste,  —  well  that  is 
rather  strong,  —  coming  deliberately  though  with 
evident  trouble,  — 

"Oh  Mr.  Merrithew!  please  come  quick  down 
stairs;  —  the  cat's  got  hout." 

I  supposed  it  had  got  out  into  the  corridor  or  the 
cabin,  and  I  expected  to  find  myself  enlisted  in  a 
frantic  chase  from  one  end  of  the  ship  to  the  other. 
Vaqoub  was  no  fool,  and  his  slyness  in  evading 
capture  when  it  pleased  his  serene  highness  to  wan 
der  free  was  phenomenal.  In  fact,  we  only  by- 
chance  had  secured  him  that  morning  and  incarce 
rated  him  in  the  basket. 

Forgetting  all  about  my  daughter  Margaret,  I 
rushed  down  to  the  stateroom  which  I  and  the  two 
boys  and  the  cat  were  to  occupy.  Things  were 
not  so  bad  as  they  might  have  been.  Magnus,  Jr., 
was  already  sound  asleep.  Alfred  lay  quiet,  with 
his  big  eyes  open.  The  cat  had  merely  got  out  of 
the  basket  and  had  taken  refuge  among  the  life- 
preservers  under  the  berth.  Unkind  fate  dic 
tated  the  restoration  of  the  cat  to  his  wicker  prison  : 
for  whereas  he  was  perfectly  quiet  and  apparently 
contented  under  the  berth,  and  only  glared  with  his 
glassy  green  eyes,  so  soon  as  he  found  himself 
imprisoned  again  he  began  a  series  of  unearthly 
yawls  which  lasted  all  night  long,  with  the  regularity 
of  a  fog-horn,  and  which  indeed  vied  a  little  later 
with  the  fog-horn  in  making  the  night  a  burden  and 


5O  OA'   THE   POINT. 

sleep  an  impossibility.  Never  in  my  life  before  did 
I  curse  a  cat  more  heartily,  or  with  greater  justifica 
tion  for  my  concentrated  profanity.  I  am  sure  I 
should  have  been  justified  had  I  thrown  that  cat  out 
of  the  window  and  let  him  fall  a  victim  to  whale, 
dog-fish  or  porpoise,  or  whatever  monster  of  the  deep 
makes  a  specialty  of  preying  on  cats,  or  to  perish 
by  drowning,  or  change  by  natural  selection  into  a 
cat-fish  or  a  sea-mew !  The  domestic  discipline  to 
which  I  had  been  subjected  alone  prevented  me 
from  felicidal  mania;  but  never  again  will  I  take 
my  wife's  cat  on  a  voyage  with  me. 

Glorious  night  indeed !  Youth  and  beauty  and 
romance  !  Phosphorus  and  stars  and  lighthouses  ! 
The  horrors  of  that  cataclysmic,  fog-horn-haunted 
passage  will  never  fade  from  the  tablets  of  my 
memory  ! 

I  only  know  that  after  I  caught  the  cat  I  \>ent 
back  on  deck,  and  found  that  Margaret  was  no 
longer  there.  Like  a  wise  and  sensible  girl  she 
had  gone  immediately  to  her  state-room.  When 
I  was  assured  of  that,  I  turned  in  and  was  all  ready 
for  a  good  night's  sleep. 

Then  the  cat  began,  and  shortly  afterwards  we 
struck  the  fog ! 


CHAPTER  VI. 

AIR.     MERRTTHKW    AND     HIS     FAMILY     DRIVE     A     LONG 
THREE    MILES    IN    THE    RAIN. 

IT  is  a  nice  question  of  accuracy  to  decide 
whether  we  struck  the  fog  or  the  fog  struck  us. 
The  effect  was  the  same  in  either  case.  Mecaoii 
went  the  cat ;  who-o-o-o-o  went  the  fog-horn,  now 
alternately,  then  with  what  the  French  call  a  certain 
rapprochement,  coalescing  and  combining  with 
sinister  effect  on  disordered  nerves.  How  my  two 
boys  slept  through  it  is  a  mystery.  How  those  in 
the  adjoining  staterooms  endured  it  I  cannot  tell. 
Mrs.  Merrithew  the  next  morning  showed  signs  of 
51 


52  OAr   THE   POINT. 

having  passed  a  sleepless  night.  Her  nerves  were 
unstrung.  When  people's  nerves  are  unstrung  they 
are  not  accountable  to  any  previous  reputation  for 
good  temper.  Margaret  slept  the  undisturbed 
sleep  of  healthy  youth  and  an  absolutely  serene 
conscience. 

"Didn't  you  hear  the  fog  signal?"  I  asked  her, 
in  amazement. 

"  No,  certainly  not ;  that  is,  not  till  I  woke  up 
this  morning." 

"  I  did  not  get  a  wink  of  sleep  all  night ;  what 
with  that—  I  paused  a  moment  to  think  of  an 
appropriate  adjective  to  characterize  the  cat.  The 
word  in  my  mind  was  distinct  enough,  but  Alfred 
and  Magnus,  Jr.,  were  looking  at  me,  and  one 
has  to  be  careful  what  epithets  one  indulges  in 
before  boys.  Strong  expressions  are  like  burrs,  and 
quickly  entangle  themselves  in  a  boy's  vocabulary. 
The  word  "  damn "  is  vigorous  English,  and  has 
been  employed  for  several  centuries  with  more  or 
less  effect.  Even  the  stern  Father  of  his  Country 
is  said  to  have  used  it  on  various  occasions.  But 
like  cigarettes,  one  prefers  that  one's  children  should 
reach  the  mature  age  of  twenty-one  before  becom 
ing  addicted  even  moderately  to  the  habit  of  saying 
it.  But  in  this  case  my  hesitation  betrayed  my 
thought,  though  I  really  went  on  with  the  adjec 
tive  "  wretched." 

"Didn't  you  notice  when  we  slowed  up  and 
drifted  awhile  to  get  our  bearings?"  I  asked. 


O.Y    THE    POIXT.  53 

"  No,  papa,  I  really  slept  all  night." 

And  she  looked  it,  —  such  a  contrast  to  her  poor 
sire,  with  his  eyes  heavy  and  swollen  ! 

Once  or  twice  during  the  night  our  raucous 
whistle  was  answered  by  that  from  another  steam 
boat  also  plowing  blindly  through  the  fog.  At 
first  dim  and  distant,  then  coming  nearer;  our 
engines  were  stopped  and  the  signals  became 
more  imperative  and  alarming.  Then  the  warn 
ing  of  the  sister  ship  sounded  right  at  hand.  I 
sprang  out  of  the  upper  berth  and  opened  the 
shutter  and  gazed  out.  Suddenly,  where  but  an 
instant  before,  nothing  but  whirling  darkness 
seemed  to  be,  the  form  of  the  other  steamer 
loomed  up  right  upon  us ;  her  lights  burning 
cliff usedly  through  the  fog.  My  heart  was  in  my 
mouth.  I  thought  that  we  or  they  were  doomed. 
Then  I  remembered  how  my  whole  family  were 
on  board,  and  if  we  perished  it  would  be  over  in 
a  few  grim  moments,  but  no  one  of  us  would  be 
left  to  mourn  the  others,  and  I  was  calm. 

But  the  great  ships  veered  apart  and  soon  were 
lost  to  sight  of  each  other  again,  and  I  heard  the 
harsh  but  friendly  warning  retreating  till  it  died 
away. 

Ah,  Margaret,  my  fair  daughter!  little  you  knew 
of  the  danger  that  threatened  you  while  you  slept. 
Vet  all  the  time  we  are  exposed  to  unknown 
and  unseen  perils.  Think  of  the  microbes,  bacilli, 


and  protoplasmic  disease-germs  lying  in  wait  for 
us,  clustering  by  millions  on  everything  \ve 
touch,  and  only  prevented  from  devouring  us  all 
wholesale  by  their  fortunate  tendency  to  can 
nibalism  among  themselves.  But  it  is  best  not 
to  think  of  it ;  why  should  we,  whose  proper 
state  is  that  ignorance  which  is  bliss,  grow  into 
morbid  microbiphobes  ? 

There,  I  am  satisfied!  I  have  coined  a  very 
neat  and  expressive  word  that  is  not  in  the 
Century  Dictionary  ! 

1  was  interrupted  in  these  meditations,  which 
I  think  worthy  of  record,  by  a  summons  to  the 
purser's  office.  I  had  asked  the  Captain  if  he 
could  not  do  us  the  favor  of  stopping  at  the  Point, 
and  he  had  replied  that  if  I  had  only  thought  to 
get  permission  from  the  president  of  the  company 
he  would  have  been  most  happy  to  do  so,  but 
that  he  could  not  without  special  instructions.  I 
now  felt  hope  revive  in  my  heart ;  I  told  Margaret 
that  I  guessed,  after  all,  the  Captain  was  going  to 
stop  for  us.  So  I  went  down  to  the  office. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  the  official,  "do  you 
know  that  you  made  a  mistake  of  over  six  dollars 
in  buying  your  tickets  last  evening  ? '' 

"  No !  "  I  replied,  indignantly.  "  But  I  know  that 
you  made  a  mistake  of  over  six  dollars  in  my 
favor,  in  making  change,  and  that  it  was  rectified 
then  and  there  !  " 


OAr   THE   POINT.  55 

"  Oh,  did  you,  did  I  ? "  he  replied,  somewhat 
dazed  and  crestfallen ;  but  as  I  was  enabled  to 
detail  the  whole  scene  he  had  to  give  in. 

The  fog  had  lifted  a  little  bit,  but  was  changing 
to  a  fine  drizzle.  We  were  out  of  the  open  ocean 
and  within  the  sheltered  waters  of  the  bay,  whose 
superb  scenery  I  remembered  so  well  and  was 
so  anxious  for  my  family  to  admire.  Now,  nothing 
was  to  be  seen  but  a  narrow  circle  of  gray  flat 
'water,  through  which  we  cautiously  made  our  way 
at  half-speed.  It  was  too  wet  to  stay  on  deck. 
The  children  were  all  as  wild  as  hawks,  and  made 
themselves  unmitigated  nuisances  after  the  manner 
of  unruly  boys  with  energies  too  long  confined. 
At  last  Margaret  fished  "  Chilhowee  Boys"  out 
of  some  bundle,  and  pinned  the  two  little  fellows 
in  a  corner  and  read  to  them  for  an  hour, 
—  a  kind  of  homoeopathic  treatment  eminently 
successful. 

She  insisted  that  I  should  retire  to  my  state 
room  and  try  to  get  a  nap.  The  last  glimpse  that 
I  got  of  her  as  I  closed  the  door  made  a  picture 
which  I  hang  with  many  others  in  the  picture- 
gallery  of  my  memory,  —  the  sister  flanked  on 
either  side  by  the  mischievous  brother,  quivering 
with  excitement,  as  from  her  sweet  lips,  in  her  low, 
musical  voice,  came  the  pleasant  story  of  those 
young  pioneers  ! 

With  that  picture  in  my  mind   I   lay  down  and 


56  ox  THE  roixr. 

slept  two  refreshing  hours.  I  woke  with  a  start 
and  looked  out.  I  could  just  see  the  shore 
of  the  bay,  —  evergreen  woods  with  moss-draped 
boughs  coming  down  to  brownish  rocks,  and  the 
heavy  fog-clouds  hanging  too  low  to  allow  the 
mountains  to  be  seen.  The  oily  surface  of  the 
water  was  pitted  with  fine  rain.  Here  and  there 
floated  a  jelly-fish,  flabbily  flapping  its  fringed, 
transparent  folds. 

A  more  dejected  company  of  voyagers  I  never 
saw  than  that  gathered  in  the  cabin.  The  rain 
pattered  on  the  deck  and  streaked  the  windows. 
The  air  was  close  and  heavy,  and  chill  and 
damp,  but  we  were  nearing  our  port.  Two  long- 
drawn,  quavering  whistles  announced  our  arrival. 
I  gathered  our  party  together.  The  shawl-strap 
was  disintegrated ;  umbrellas  were  distributed, 
waterproofs  and  jackets  appropriated.  We  stood, 
a  disconsolate  group,  waiting  for  the  gang-plank 
to  be  run  ashore.  The  rain  had  reached  the 
fourth  stage  in  its  development,  and  was  coming 
down  in  earnest.  We  scuttled  over  the  gang 
plank  and  dashed  into  the  waiting-room  at  the 
head  of  the  pier.  The  trunks  were  rolled  out 
and  dumped  under  shelter.  Then  came  the  baby- 
carriage,  which  the  man,  handling  it  carefully,  left 
under  the  eaves,  just  where  a  stream  of  water  fell 
directly  on  it.  Having  rescued  that  valuable 
organ  of  locomotion  from  the  elements,  I  went 


av  THE  roj.\r.  57 

in  and  found  my  tribe  shivering  around  a  cold 
stove.  Whether  they  tried  to  elicit  heat  from 
it  through  imaginative  induction  or  not,  I  don't 
know.  Margaret  was  the  life  of  the  party.  She 
was  young  and  ready  for  any  kind  of  experience. 

"  It's  good  pure  water,  papa,"  she  said,  philo 
sophically.  "  It  won't  hurt  any  of  us." 

"  I'd  rather  have  it  internally  than  externally,"  I 
replied.  "  However,  you  are  right :  we  must  grin 
and  bear  it." 

So  I  went  out  and  found  a  ram-shackly  old 
covered  stage  waiting  to  convey  us  to  the  Springs 
and  beyond. 

"  About  three  miles  to  the  Point,  I  believe,"  said 
I,  a  raindrop  trickling  down  my  neck  and  disfiguring 
my  collar. 

"  Three  miles  !     Huh  !     It's  a  good  seven." 

"  Why,  they  told  me  it  was  only  three." 

"  Three  !  your  grandmother  !  "  he  exclaimed,  with 
a  laugh,  though  what  my  grandmother  had  to  do 
with  it  I  could  not  imagine. 

"  Well,  can  you  take  us  all  over  ? " 

'•  How  many  be  you  ?  " 

Again  that  miserable  mental  calculation  and 
enumeration  of  my  followers  and  dependants. 

Somehow  or  other  this  question  reminded  me  of 
an  incident  of  my  wedding  journey.  My  wife,  who 
is  looking  over  my  shoulder,  critically  suggests  that 
it  would  be  more  becoming  to  say  "  our  "  wedding 


58  ON  THE  roixr. 

journey;  well,  I  agree  with  her:  I  don't  want  this 
narration  to  be  all  studded  with  >v  I's"  like  the  beast 
in  the  Revelation. 

How  well  I  remember  that  June  afternoon,  driving 

up  to    the    hotel,   and  as   I    looked  over  my  —  our 

—  possessions,    saying :     "  Two    trunks,    two    bags, 

two  umbrellas,  two  bundles,  —  and  two  hearts  that 

beat  as  one  !  " 

Now  there  were  :  of  trunks,  six  ;  of  bags,  five  ; 
of  umbrellas,  four;  of  bundles,  two;  of  hearts  that 
beat  as  one  —  that  is  hard  to  say  !  and,  in  addition, 
two  cribs,  and  that  white  elephant  of  a  baby  carriage, 
in  which  were  stored  several  books  exposed  to  the 
danger  of  being  wet.  I  found  them  dry  enough 
when  I  unpacked  them. 

••  I  can  take  all  your  folks  and  two  trunks,  that  is 
if  some  on  'em  will  set  on  a  trunk." 

"What  will  become  of  the  others?"  I  asked, 
dubiously. 

"  Bring  'em  over  's  afternoon,  —  fetch  another 
team." 

"  Pray  don't  let  them  get  soaked,"  I  added, 
warningly. 

"  Oh,  no !  won't  let  'em  git  wet,  won't  let  'em  git 
wet!  they'll  set  all  right  in  the  storeroom  there." 

I  looked  into  the  storeroom  or  baggage-room  and 
felt  a  trifle  sceptical.  The  bare  room  was  packed 
with  all  sorts  of  general  merchandise,  —  empty  egg- 
crates,  empty  boxes  of  various  sorts,  in  some  of 


G>.\    THE  POL\  r.  59 

which  chickens  and  ducks  had  evidently  been  sent 
up  to  the  city  guillotine  to  suffer  for  crimes  com 
mitted  by  unknown  ancestors,  timber,  iron-ware, 
barrels,  bags  stuffed  with  top-dressing  and  exhaling 
odors  painful  to  aesthetic  senses,  a  general  riff-raff 
of  merchandise  piled  indiscriminately  into  that 
narrow  room.  And  under  and  on  top  and  in  the 
midst  lay  and  reposed  and  toppled  our  six  trunks 
and  other  possessions. 

After  consultation  with  the  practical  Mrs.  Mer- 
rithew,  I  indicated  the  two  that  seemed  most  essen 
tial  to  our  comfort,  and  helped  lift  them  into  the 
groaning  vehicle,  —  one  in  front,  on  which  the  driver 
proposed,  with  true  self-sacrifice,  to  perch,  the  other 
in  the  back.  Then,  one  by  one,  my  family  came 
forth  and  clambered  in.  Wet  and  mud-stained,  with 
my  back  aching  from  the  unwonted  effort,  I  mounted 
last  of  all,  and  we  started  off. 

Margaret  and  the  two  boys  sat  on  the  flat  trunk 
in  the  rear.  Mrs.  Merrithew  held  Natalie  in  her  lap. 

"•  Where  's  the  cat  ?  Alfred,  you  were  commis 
sioned  Lord-keeper  of  the  cat !  Where  is  Yaqoub  ?  " 

This  burst  from  my  agonized  heart  was  occa 
sioned  by  a  sudden  consciousness  that  my  ears,  so 
long  filled  with  his  laments,'  had  been  for  some  time 
void  of  those  melodious  strains. 

Albert  looked  scared.  Good  reason  !  The  cat 
was  nowhere  to  be  found.  I  really  pitied  the  poor 
little  fellow,  much  as  I  blamed  him  for  his  neglect. 


6o  o.v  THE 

I  thought  it  might  be  a  good  lesson  for  him,  for 
Vaqoub  was  his  special  pet.  His  tears  were  copious, 
and  almost  rivalled  the  rain.  I  tried  to  comfort 
him. 

"  Driver,"  said  I,  turning  to  our  dripping  Jehu, 
"  is  there  a  village  at  the  Springs  ? " 

"  Village  ?  "  Yes  sir  ree  !  a  real  smart  village." 

"  Well,"  I  continued,  "  do  you  suppose  I  can 
telegraph  or  telephone  there  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes'm,  o'  course  you  can  telephone  any 
where  abouts." 

"  Now,  then,  Master  Albert,  we  will  get  the 
driver  to  stop  a  moment  at  the  village,  —  I  think 
we  're  almost  there  now,  —  and  I  will  try  to  get  word 
and  intercept  the  steamer.  Yaqoub  shall  be  re 
stored  to  the  bosom  of  his  family.  And  if,"  I 
added  piously,  "  Fate  decrees  that  the  poor  old  cat 
is  to  be  snatched  ruthlessly  from  us,  we  will  do  our 
best  to  procure  another." 

"  Cat,  is  it  ?  "  ejaculated  the  driver  ;  "  here  's  a  cat 
in  the  basket  under  my  feet,  half  drownded,  I  guess, 
too  drownded  to  meou." 

We  passed  the  little  village,  looking  forlorn  and 
unpainted,  as  we  rattled  through  the  chain  of  lakes 
that  hid  the  road  or  street.  There  was  a  once 
white  church,  along  the  front  of  which  we  could  see 
a  sort  of  black  dado,  where  the  pious  shoulders  of 
the  village  Solons  had  rubbed  off  the  paint  and 
polished  the  wood  during  their  post-devotional 


av  THE  roixT.  61 

gossip ;  there  was  a  great  barn-like  hall,  with  a 
masonic  symbol  in  gilt  to  designate  it ;  farther  on, 
a  little  one-story  post  office,  with  two  or  three  un 
kempt-looking  men  staring  at  us  as  we  drove  by. 

One  of  those  men  afterwards,  when  asked  who 
came  on  the  stage,  replied  that  an  old,  gray-headed 
man,  with  several  women  and  kids,  "come  up  from 
the  port." 

I  "  an  old,  gray-headed  man  !  "  My  children  des 
ignated  as  "  kids  !  "  Surely,  I  might  protest  in  the 
words  of  the  Irishman,  "  Sure,  is  their  feyther  a 
go-at  ? " 

The  road  from  the  village  to  the  Point  turns 
abruptly  at  right  angles  from  the  old  turnpike ; 
but  what  could  we  see  in  that  sheeted  rain,  in 
that  atmosphere  of  fog,  fog  rising  from  the  ground, 
and  fog  descending  from  the  low-lying  clouds  ? 
What  could  we  see  through  the  chinks  of  that 
dilapidated,  rattling  old  stage  ?  Nothing  but  a 
procession  of  wet,  dripping  bushes ;  here  and 
there  wild  roses  in  bloom ;  at  long  intervals  a 
humble  farmhouse,  with  a  woman  staring  from 
the  front  door  of  the  long  "L,"  and  flocks  of 
unhappy,  bedraggled  chickens,  scratching  up  a 
precarious  livelihood  around  the  doorsteps. 

"  I  suppose  you  know  which  the  Governor's  cot 
tage  is  ? "  I  asked  of  our  subdued  and  melancholy 
driver ;  a  tall,  lank  youth  he  was,  with  a  pale, 
sallow  complexion,  and  irregular  wisps  of  coarse, 
sandy  hair. 


62  O.Y    THE    POI.\'T. 

"  \Val  "  (not  "  wall  "),  "  can't  say  's  I  do.  I  hain't 
driv  the  stage  but  a  few  weeks.  Guess  we  '11  find 
out,  though." 

Chronologically,  I  ought  to  have  mentioned  the 
fact  that  the  week  before  we  —  Mrs.  Merrithew  and 
I  —  had  called  at  the  Governor's.  We  were  re 
ceived  with  admirable  courtesy,  and  I  could  see  that 
my  wife  made  an  excellent  impression.  I  myself 
thought  she  looked  remarkably  young  and  pretty. 
But  I  made  one  of  my  unfortunate  speeches. 

"  We  will  try  to  take  good  care  of  the  cottage," 
said  Mrs.  Merrithew,  after  she  had  sufficiently  ex 
pressed  her  gratitude. 

The  Governor,  who  was  most  gallant,  —  I  had  no 
idea  he  could  be  so  gallant ;  but  old-fashioned, 
courtly  dignity  suited  him  to  perfection,  —  the  Gov 
ernor  said  it  was  a  great  comfort  to  him  to  think 
that  the  house  would  be  in  such  careful  hands. 

Then  his  lady  remarked,  — 

"I'm  afraid,  Mrs.  —  a,  Mrs.  Merrithew,  that  you 
will  find  a  great  many  cobwebs." 

This  was  too  great  a  temptation  for  me ;  and  with 
a  flippancy  which  I  know  is  always  unbecoming 
and  injurious  to  me,  I  snatched  at  the  occasion. 

"  Oh,  we  will  see  that  they  are  all  hung  back 
again  and  restored  to  their  places." 

The  Governor  was  inclined  to  think  there  might 
be  a  touch  of  humor  in  my  remark ;  at  least,  he 
laughed.  But  his  wife  looked  a  little  annoyed,  as 


O.V    THE   POLXT.  63 

if  she  was  not  certain  how  to  take  it ;  and  my 
wife,  I  could  see,  sat  on  pins  and  needles ;  but  her 
quick  tact  rescued  the  conversation  from  shipwreck. 

In  accordance  with  the  Governor's  sensible  ad 
vice,  I  wrote  to  a  native  of  the  Point,  requesting 
her  to  have  the  house  opened,  cleansed  and 
warmed.  The  letter  brought  an  immediate  an 
swer,  stating  (as  I  had  also  requested)  the  condition 
of  the  furnishings.  I  had  good  reason,  therefore, 
as  this  Mrs.  Johnson  knew  we  were  coming  that 
clay,  to  expect  to  find  the  house  in  fairly  good  order, 
and  a  semi-hospitable  welcome  in  the  way  of  a 
kitchen  fire. 

We  at  last  reached  the  Point.  The  rain  con 
tinued  with  even  fiercer  violence. 

"  I  declare  to  Moses,"  exclaimed  the  driver,  "  1 
never  seen  it  rain  harder  !  " 

The  first  cottage  that  came  in  sight  was  the  Gov 
ernor's.  We  did  not  know  it,  nor  did  the  driver. 
Nevertheless,  with  a  sort  of  intuition,  he  drove 
across  what  ought  to  have  been  a  lawn,  but  was 
only  a  field  filled  with  reeking  grass  that  reached  to 
the  horses'  bellies.  The  only  suggestion  of  recent 
care  was  a  narrow  swath  that  had  been  mowed 
from  a  sort  of  side  avenue,  gullied  by  the  rain,  and 
impracticable,  leading  to  the  front  steps.  The  door 
was  locked ;  there  was  no  sign  of  life  ;  nor  was 
there  a  person  to  be  seen  in  the  straggling  road 
that  did  service  for  the  "street." 


64  ON    Till:    POINT. 

'•  Drive  on  to  the  hotel,"  I  commanded,  with  a 
sort  of  despairing  courage.  I  had  written  to  the 
hotel  proprietor,  stating  that  we  might  like  to  be 
accommodated  for  a  day  or  two,  till  we  made  neces 
sary  arrangements,  and  also  making  inquiries  in 
behalf  of  friends  regarding  rooms  and  board  ;  and 
the  proprietor  had  replied  with  most  satisfactory 
promptness,  and  an  unusual  degree  of  na'ive  enthu 
siasm  about  the  beauties  of  the  Point.  A  circular 
enclosed  was  decorated  with  a  cut  representing  a 
magnificent  structure,  surrounded  by  swings,  teters, 
piazzas  furnished  with  hammocks,  by  groves, 
equipages,  sailboats  and  other  attractions;  while  a 
band,  a  barber,  a  telephone,  a  billiard-room,  a 
bowling  alley  and  a  livery  stable  were  advertised  as 
adding  greatly  to  the  inducements  of  the  place. 

To  the  hotel,  then,  I  naturally  turned  as  a 
refuge  from  the  inclement  storm.  It  was  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  farther  on  ;  and  at  last,  with 
the  rain  beginning  to  soak  through  the  roof  of  the 
stage,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  hotel  steps,  damp, 
cramped,  tired,  hungry,  and  as  cross  as  it  was 
possible  for  a  family  universally  noted  for  its  good 
nature  to  be.  Even  Margaret,  ordinarily  the  very 
pattern  of  patience  and  serenity,  spoke  with  some 
sharpness  to  Magnus,  Jr.,  whose  feet  were  restless. 
I  don't  wonder  she  felt  cross  :  her  pretty  gray  dress 
was  spotted  with  raindrops  and  wrinkled  and 
crumpled.  As  for  her  hat,  I  trembled  when  I 


ON    THE   PuINT.  65 

thought  of  the  extra  millinery  bill  which  its  con 
dition  would  entail.  The  same  might  be  remarked 
of  Mrs.  Merrithew's  bonnet.  What  thoughts  were 
stirring  in  that  Swedish  girl's  mind  I  could  conject 
ure,  but  I  dared  not  attempt  to  formulate :  her  face 
was  hopelessly  gloomy,  and  an  ugly  light  balefully 
smouldered  in  her  blue  eyes. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN    WHICH    A    GOVERNMENT    OFFICIAL    API-EARS    AS     A 
COMFORTER. 

THERE  was  no  sign  of  life  around  the  big 
hotel,  either.  The  rain  stood  in  deep  pools 
on  the  broad  steps  that  led  up  to  the  piazza.  I  wet 
my  feet  as  I  hastily  dashed  from  the  stage  through 
the  rain,  which  had  now  reached  its  last  and  most 
violent  paroxysm,  and  almost  drowned  out  my  wife's 
scream  telling  me  to  hurry,  for  the  baby  was  getting 
wet  and  would  take  cold. 

The  front  door  was  locked  ! 

I  knocked  and  thumped,  but  no  one   responded. 


ON   THE   POINT.  67 

I  walked  the  length  of  the  piazza,  looking  in 
through  the  windows.  Everything  seemed  de 
serted.  In  the  billiard-room,  at  the  end,  the  green 
cloths  had  apparently  not  been  removed  for  ages. 
In  the  long  dining-room  the  chairs  were  piled  on 
the  tables,  as  if  they  had  taken  advantage  of  the 
owner's  absence  to  cut  up  didos.  Not  a  soul  was 
anywhere  to  be  seen. 

1  hastened  back  to  the  front  door  and  peered  in. 
I  could  see  a  huge  stone  fireplace.  I  shook  the 
door.  I  pounded  again  with  my  fist,  and  this 
time  I  forced  an  entrance,  for  I  smashed  the  great 
pane  of  glass,  which  fell  inward  with  a  crash  that 
might  have  waked  the  dead.  The  echoes  went 
scattering  through  the  empty  halls  and  vanished ; 
but  no  one  came.  I  was  desperate.  Not  a  living 
person  had  we  seen  since  our  arrival  on  the  Point ! 

What  were  we  to  do  ?  Where  were  we  to  go  ? 
What  would  become  of  those  innocent,  half-starved 
children  ?  Never  was  a  pater  familias  placed  in  a 
more  trying  position. 

Mrs.  Merrithew  emerged  from  the  depths  of  the 
stage.  I  never  saw  her  face  so  woe-begone.  It 
was  immaterial  to  her  if  the  rain  did  spoil  her 
bonnet. 

"  Mr.  Merrithew,  why  did  you  persuade  me  into 
this  ill-fated  expedition  ?  " 

On  my  word,  that  was  too  much.  I  took  fire  so 
far  as  I  could,  being  quite  soaked,  and  a  sharp 


68  av  THE  POIXT. 

answer  rose  to  my  lips ;  but  Margaret,  bless  her 
sweet  heart,  came  to  my  rescue,  as  she  so  often  did, 
and  pulled  her  mother  back  into  the  stage  again. 

Meantime,  the  driver  had  leaped  down  from  the 
trunk-seat  and  disappeared  around  the  hotel. 
While  I  was  still  boiling  with  a  righteous  indigna 
tion,  —  that  I,  of  all  men,  should  have  been  blamed 
for  a  state  of  things  for  which  I  was  not  in  the  least 
responsible, —  I  heard  steps  echoing  through  the 
hall,  and  lo  !  there  was  our  friend  and  benefactor, 
the  dripping  driver,  accompanied  by  a  woman,  who 
flung  the  door  wide  open.  She  actually  wore  a 
smile  !  Her  smile  was  n't  handsome,  but  I  declare 
I  could  have  embraced  her,  then  and  there,  as  a 
prodigal  son  embraces  a  long-lost  mother ! 

I  forgot  my  resentment, —  I  always  find  it  im 
possible  to  harbor  resentment ;  and  indeed,  in 
this  instance,  my  usually  cheerful  and  optimistic 
wife  had  abundant  justification  for  having  her 
sensibilities  ruffled.  I  rushed  down  to  the  stage, 
flung  back  the  black,  dirty  flaps  of  the  vehicle  and 
shouted  in  my  most  dulcet  and  encouraging 
tones, — 

"  It 's  all  right,  my  love  !  it 's  all  right !  Come  on  ! 
come  out !  Get  under  this  umbrella." 

With  what  alacrity  that  stage  was  emptied ! 
How  merrily  the  children's  voices  rang  as  they 
explored  the  hotel  with  all  the  curiosity  of  their  age, 
instantly  forgetting  all  the  discomforts  of  the  past 


ON    THE   POINT.  69 

two  hours.  Margaret  relieved  her  pent-up  feel 
ings  by  flying  at  the  grand  piano  in  the  parlor  and 
playing  a  snatch  of  a  waltz. 

"  Could  we  have  some  dinner  ?  Could  we  have 
a  fire,  so  as  to  dry  our  damp  clothing  ?  Could  we 
have  beds  in  case  we  wanted  to  spend  the  night  ? " 

Yea,  verily,  we  could  have  dinner,  fire,  shelter. 
There  were  two  hundred  rooms,  more  or  less,  and 
we  were  the  first  guests  of  the  season  ! 

As  for  me,  I  thought  I  would  ride  back  to  the 
cottages  and  discover  definitely  which  was  ours. 
I  paid  that  vivacious  Jehu  twice  the  regular  fare. 
I  think  he  deserved  it,  but  it  depleted  my  already 
diminished  funds  to  an  alarming  state. 

After  some  inquiries  made  by  the  driver  I  found 
myself  on  the  door-step  of  the  Johnson's  comfort 
able-looking  house.  It  was  neatly  painted,  and 
bore  the  marks  of  some  prosperity.  I  knocked, 
and  a  pleasant  though  rather  stern-looking  young 
woman  made  her  appearance.  I  told  her  who 
I  was.  A  screen-door  kept  out  the  flies ;  it 
also  kept  me  out !  At  least,  I  \vas  n't  invited 
to  enter,  but  like  the  "  Peri  at  the  gate,"  stocd 
disconsolate. 

"  We  had  comp'ny,  so  I  was  n't  able  to  set  the 
house  to  rights,"  said  Miss  Johnson,  with  a  faint 
attempt  at  apology.  "  I  suppose  you  found  the 
key  in  the  door." 

"No,"  I  replied,  feebly.     "We  drove  up  to  the 


70  ON    THE   POINT. 

piazza,  but  we  were  n't  sure  of  its  being  the  right 
house,  so  we  went  on  to  the  hotel." 

"  My  brother  fixed  the  doors,  so 's  you  could 
open  'em,  and  mowed  the  grass  in  front  of  the 
door.  You'll  find  the  key  there,  I  guess.  Oh!" 
she  added,  "  I  'm  afraid  you  '11  find  they  ain't  as 
many  things  as  my  letter  gave  you  reason  to 
expect.  I  went  over  there  a  second  time  and 
found  a  good  many  things  missing." 

"  The  cottage  has  been  cleaned,  has  n't  it  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"Oh  yes!  I  got  Mis'  Laurandy  Clinton  to  bresh 
down  some  of  the  worst  of  the  cobwebs.  She 
did  something,  but  I  don't  think  she  quite  finished 
up.  I  guess  if  't  had  n't  rained  so  hard  she  'd 
ben  there  this  mornin'." 

I  went  through  the  wet  grass  over  to  the  cottage, 
and  turning  the  key,  opened  the  door  and  entered. 
The  first  impression  of  a  house  long  untenanted 
and  scantily  furnished  is  usually  melancholy,  even 
when  the  sun  shines ;  far  more  so,  oppressively 
gloomy  is  it  apt  to  be  when  the  skies  are  draped 
in  heavy-hanging  clouds.  I  was  prepared  for  it ; 
I  steeled  my  heart  to  meet  the  chill  and  pang 
of  such  an  entrance.  But  I  must  confess  I  was 
agreeably  disappointed.  The  rooms  were  indeed 
rather  bare,  —  there  were  no  pictures  on  the  walls, 
—  but  the  windows  were  large,  and  the  outlook, 
though  veiled  by  fog,  promised  great  beauty. 


O.Y    THE    POINT.  /I 

Open  fireplaces  of  generous  proportions  commu 
nicated  an  air  of  cosiness.  Several  comfortable 
looking  rocking-chairs,  and  a  lounge  with  cushions 
stuffed  with  fragrant  fir-balsam  helped  the  tout 
ensemble.  An  ebonized  bookcase,  without  a  book 
in  it,  stood  against  the  wall.  A  large  lamp  had, 
by  long  standing,  made  a  yellow  circle  on  the 
oil-cloth  of  the  dining-room  table.  In  the  kitchen 
the  stove  was  in  good  condition.  In  the  pantry 
the  pump,  alas !  only  wheezed,,  gave  forth  an 
uncertain  gurgling,  and  refused  to  furnish  water. 

Upstairs  were  large,  comfortable  rooms,  —  one 
containing  a  little  stove,  —  all  furnished  with  ex 
cellent  beds.  Down  cellar  the  aspect  was  not 
so  reassuring.  There  was  not  a  splinter  of 
kindling,  not  a  stick  of  wood,  not  a  piece  of 
coal.  Moreover,  the  rain  had  poured  in,  and  the 
water  stood  in  pools  along  the  cellar  foundations, 
which,  indeed,  were  so  badly  thrown  out  by  the 
winter  frosts  that  the  house  had  scarcely  any 
support  except  at  the  two  ends. 

]  returned  to  the  hotel  a  trifle  encouraged. 
It  struck,  me  with  some  surprise  that  I  still  saw 
no  living  person.  There  were  perhaps  a  dozen 
cottages  at  the  Point.  Several  were  evidently  as 
yet  unoccupied.  But  not  a  face  appeared  at  a 
window.  Not  even  around  the  lighthouse  and 
its  white-painted  dependencies  was  anyone  visible. 
It  was  still  foggy,  but  the  rain  had  ceased. 


72  ON    THE    POINT. 

Overhead  there  seemed    to    be    signs    of    clearing 
skies. 

I  found  my  family  assembled  in  the  largest 
ground-Moor  suite  of  rooms,  with  the  cheering  in 
fluences  of  a  fire  in  one  of  these  palatial  saloons. 
After  a  time  we  were  summoned  out  to  dinner. 
Whatever  cheerfulness  characterized  the  meal  was 
contributed  by  ourselves.  We  occupied  a  table 
hastily  prepared  in  one  corner  of  the  immense 
dining-room.  One  waitress  served  us;  we  had  no 
soup  and  no  meat,  but  a  choice  between  two  kinds 
of  fish,  one  of  which  was  canned  salmon.  How 
ever,  we  made  out  a  very  decent  meal. 

After  dinner  the  sun  actually  came  out.  It  was 
pleasant  to  see  the  sunlight  flashing  across  the 
wet  branches  of  the  grove. 

Mrs.  Merrithew  spied  a  man  in  blue  overalls  in 
front  of  the  hotel,  driving  a  peculiar  cart  hung  low 
on  four  wheels. 

"  It 's  clearing  off,"  she  cried.  "  Let's  go  down 
to  the  cottage.  We  may  as  well  sleep  there  as 
here.  I  don't  believe  it  will  be  any  damper. 
Magnus,  clear,  suppose  you  go  and  ask  that  man 
if  he  will  take  us  down  and  how  much  for." 

"  I  don't  want  to  tackle  him."  I  protested.  "  I 
don't  know  what  kind  of  a  man  he  is." 

"  Well,  you  are  a  brave  man  !  "  she  ejaculated, 
with  fine  scorn  for  my  coyness.  "  Margaret, 
darling,  suppose  you  go  and  try  the  charms  of 
your  eloquence  on  him." 


O.V    THE   P01XT.  73 

Margaret,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  stepped 
out  through  the  window  to  the  piazza,  and  soon 
returned,  stating  that  the  man  was  the  lighthouse- 
keeper,  and  that  he  would  convey  us  all  down  to 
the  cottage  for  five  cents  apiece. 

I  think  it  was  quite  a  relief  to  the  housekeeper 
of  the  hotel  that  we  decided  not  to  stay,  for  in 
spite  of  the  glowing  eulogy  contained  in  circular 
and  letter,  the  proprietor  of  that  establishment  had 
not  made  any  arrangements  for  receiving  guests ; 
there  was  no  cook,  nobody  to  do  the  necessary 
work. 

On  the  way  down  to  the  cottage  Mrs.  Merrithew 
had  a  lively  conversation  with  the  lighthouse- 
keeper.  It  was  as  follows  : 

Mrs.  M.  "  I  suppose  a  good  many  people  come 
here  in  the  summer." 

/.  //  K.    "  Xo,  used  to  ;  ain't  nobody  comes  now." 

Mrs.  M.  "  Why  does  n't  the  steamer  touch 
here  ?  " 

L.  II.  K.  "  '  T  used  to.  All  run  down.  Wharf 
ain't  fit." 

Mrs.  M.     "  Does  the  butcher 'come  round  ?  " 

/,.  //  K.  "  Used  to.  Does  now  once  in  a 
while.  Can't  depend  on  him." 

Mrs.  M.     "We  were  told  he  came  twice  a  week." 

/-.  H.  K.  "Used  to.  He's  ben  once  this  week; 
said  he  might  not  come  at  all  next  week.  Could  n't 
get  no  lamb." 


74  o.v  THE  roixr. 

Mrs.  M.     "  We  can  get  fish,  can't  we  ?  " 

L.  H.  K.  "  Doubt  it.  Ain't  nobody  fishes  much 
round  here,  '  cept  Chamfray  sets  a  few  lobster  pots 
;.nd  tends  the  weirs." 

Mrs.  M.      "  The  weirs  ?  " 

L.  H.  K.     "  Yes,  the  salmon  weirs." 

Margaret.     "  We  can  get  some  salmon,  can  't  we  ?  " 

L.  H.  K.  "  Don't  believe  you  kin.  Salmon  's 
ben  runnin'  ruther  skurse  this  summer.  Skurse 
and  high." 

Mrs.  M.  "  Well,  we  can  live  on  eggs,  if  every 
thing  else  fails." 

L.  H.  K.  "  Aiggs !  p'aps  you  c'n  git  'em  and 
p'aps  you  can't.  Aiggs  has  ben  p'utty  skurse 
this  year." 

Mrs.  M.     "  How  about  milk  ?  " 

/.  H.  K.  "  There  used  to  be  a  fam'ly  kep'  cows 
on  the  Point.  All  sold  now.  There  's  a  milkman 
brings  milk  to  the  hotel.  Comes  about  ten  miles  to 
furnish  them.  Guess  he  'd  let  you  hev  milk." 

Mrs.  M.     "  Don't  you  keep  a  cow  ?  " 

L.  H.  K.     "  Yes,  I  keep  a  cow." 

Mrs.  M.  "  You  see,  I  have  a  young  baby  here, 
and  I  must  have  fresh  milk.  I  don't  like  it 
brought  so  far.  Could  n't  you  let  me  have  a  quart 
or  two  a  day  ?  " 

L.  H.  K.  "  Could  n't  possibly  spare  a  drop. 
Have  regular  customers,  who  take  all  I  c'n  spare." 

Mrs.  M.     '"  How  can  we  get  groceries  ?  " 


ON   THE   POINT.  75 

L.  H.  K.  "  Groceries !  why,  you  have  to  go  'n 
git  'em  from  the  village." 

Mrs.  M.     "  Don't  they  send  things  over  ?  " 

L.  If.  K.     "  Na-o." 

Mrs.  M.     "  What  can  we  do  ?  " 

L.  H.  K.  "  Hire  a  hoss,  and  go  for  'm  your 
selves." 

Mrs.  M.     "  Of  whom  can  we  hire  a  horse  ?  " 

L.  II.  K.  "  Well,  you  see  this  critter  I  've  got 
hitched  up  here.  I  let  her  sometimes." 

Myself.  "  How  much  do  you  ask  to  drive 
over  to  the  village  ?  " 

L.  H.  K.     "  I  gen'rally  git  a  dollar." 

Mrs.  M.  "  So  if  we  want  a  yeast-cake  in  a  hurry, 
we  shall  have  to  hire  your  team,  shall  we  ? " 

L.  H.  K.  "  Well,  that 's  p'utty  nigh  the  long  and 
short  of  it." 

Myself.     "  Who  brings  the  mail  ?  " 

/,.  //  K.     "  I  do  if  the  folks  pays  me  for  it." 

1  think  we  were  all  somewhat  dumfounded  by 
this  prospect.  As  I  have  hinted,  though  on  gen 
eral  principle  we  detested  the  very  sound  of  the 
word  "  afford  "  and  used  it  as  sparingly  as  possible, 
a  hard  Fate  made  its  practice  unavoidable  with  us. 
We  had  calculated  that  if  a  horse  was  not  an 
expensive  luxury,  we  would  indulge  in  one  or  two 
rides  for  pleasure  every  week.  The  unexpected 
expense  of  that  stage-drive  had  made  a  sharp  drain 
on  our  equine  fund.  But  here  was  a  dilemma 
facing  us  of  which  we  had  not  dreamed. 


76  OAr  THE  roL\T. 

But  that  cursed  lighthouse-keeper  was  not  quit 
of  us  yet.  We  were  just  turning  up  to  the  steps 
when  he  suddenly  said, — 

"  D'y'  ever  hev  scarlet  fever  ?  " 

That  word  called  up  terrible  memories,  and  none 
of  us  answered. 

"  'Cause  if  you  hev  n't,  p'aps  I'd  oughter  tell  ye 
the  last  folks  thet  hed  this  house  come  down  with 
it." 

"  Turn  right  round  and  go  back  to  the  hotel !  "  I 
exclaimed. 

The  lighthouse-keeper  saw  that  he  had  drawn 
the  string  a  little  too  taut. 

"  I  don't  think  the 's  any  gret  danger,"  he  went 
on,  confidently.  "  '  T  made  it  kind  o'  onpleasant  fer 
'em  fer  a  while.  The  neighbors  kep'  all  away, 
'xcept  myself.  I  've  hed  it  in  my  fam'ly.  I  ain't 
afraint  on't.  I  lost  one  child  by  it.  But  I  missed 
t'other  one  right  through  it.  If  you  should  come 
down  with  it  I  could  help  out ;  but  then,  as  I 
said,  they  ain't  no  danger.  The  house  was  foomi- 
gated  from  garret  to  cellar ;  the  Board  o'  Health 
done  it,  and  't  was  done  right." 

My  wife  looked  at  me,  and  I  looked  at  my  wife. 
We  did  n't  know  what  to  do.  But  here  Margaret's 
sound  common-sense  came  to  our  aid. 

"  Of  course  there  can't  be  any  danger,  papa ;  they 
would  n't  have  let  us  take  the  cottage  if  there  had 
been  the  slightest  risk.  The  children  would  be 


OA'    Till'.    POINT.  77 

four  times  as  much  exposed  in  going  and  coming  on 
the  boat.'' 

"  Right  you  are,  Miss,"  said  the  lighthouse- 
keeper. 

So  we  decided  to  take  possession.  First,  I 
engaged  the  lighthouse-keeper  to  drive  Mrs.  Merri- 
thew  over  to  the  village  to  procure  necessary  stores 
of  provisions  to  begin  housekeeping  with.  By  the 
time  he  came  back  for  her  in  his  buggy,  she  would 
have  discovered  what  was  needed.  I  borrowed  of 
our  not-over-effusive  neighbors,  the  Johnsons, 
enough  wood  and  coal  to  start  the  fire  in  the 
kitchen  and  keep  it  going  till  the  next  day,  and  to 
make  a  fire  in  the  parlor  fireplace. 

Pretty  soon  the  lighthouse-keeper  appeared,  and 
my  wife  started  off.  A  more  depressing  companion 
she  could  not  have  had.  She  told  us  afterwards 
that  he  kept  up  the  tone  of  his  pessimism  till  he 
brought  her  back.  He  was  talkative  enough,  but 
such  a  lugubrious  picture  he  gave  of  the  Point  and 
its  history,  of  the  cottagers  and  the  hotel,  of  the 
farmers  and  the  fishermen !  He  warned  her  of 
Farmer  This  and  Farmer  That.  You  could  n't 
trust  Mr.  Bigg  out  of  your  sight,  and  Ormsby  would 
cheat  you  out  of  your  eye-teeth.  He  did  n't  think 
the  cottage  would  last  the  summer  out ;  he  doubted 
if  any  of  the  cottages  except  those  already  occupied 
would  be  opened  that  summer. 

Mrs.    Merrithew   came    home    utterly   depressed. 


78  av  THE  POIXT. 

But  it  cheered  her  to  find  the  rest  of  us  in  good 
spirits.  We  found  some  amusement  in  the  Swedish 
girl's  mamtuvres.  She  was  evidently  as  green  as 
grass,  and  she  could  not  even  kindle  the  fire  in  the 
range  ;  she  was  going  to  put  in  the  coal  first  and 
the  kindlings  on  top,  and  then  wet  it  down  with 
kerosene.  Margaret  had  picked  up  a  few  words 
of  Swedish,  and  this  helped  out  in  making  her 
understand. 

The  fog  still  hung  about,  but  the  rain  was  over. 
It  was  cool,  almost  cold  ;  the  fire  in  the  fireplace 
shed  a  grateful  gleam  and  glow. 

"  I  wish  we  had  a  piano  for  you,  dearie,"  I  said, 
addressing  Margaret,  as  she  stood  at  the  window 
trying  to  unravel  the  view  of  the  shore  from  the 
still  whirling  fog-wreaths ;  "  but  I  am  glad  you  have 
your  zither." 

It  was  quite  wonderful  to  me  :  we  had  a  jolly 
good  supper  in  our  own  dining-room.  Mrs.  Mer- 
rithew  had  brought  home  some  beefsteak  and 
whole-wheat  bread  and  two  boxes  of  good  straw 
berries,  besides  the  other  stores  such  as  her  expe 
rience  suggested. 

So  we  forgot  our  cares,  and  laughed  and  talked 
and  were  satisfied.  After  tea  I  renewed  the  fire  in 
the  fireplace,  and  while  the  "  women  folks  "  were  put 
ting  the  children  to  bed,  and  had  carried  off  the  one 
lamp,  I  sat  in  the  rocking-chair  and  mused.  The 
fire  flickered  and  blazed.  I  happened  to  cast  my 


ON   THE   POINT.  79 

eyes  up  to  the  ceiling,  and  there  hung,  with  wings 
extended  and  quivering,  with  jaws  snapping  and 
cruel,  the  very  representation  of  the  ugly  blackbird 
of  misfortune  !  It  was  only  the  shadow  of  the  fire- 
dog,  but  there  was  something  so  uncanny  about  it 
that  it  involuntarily  brought  up  every  foreboding,  i 
am  afraid  I  did  what  I  am  sure  my  wife  was 
plucky  enough  to  refrain  from  doing  :  I  felt  like 
sobbing,  and  I  furtively  wiped  my  eyes,  pretending 
even  to  myself  that  the  smoke  had  made  them  water. 
"  But,  after  all,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  you  are  not 
superstitious  ;  the  chances  are  that  all  will  come  out 
right  in  the  end." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

IN     WHICH     NKICHIiORS     Al'I'KAK     AM)     COMFORT     TIIF, 
MliRRITHKW    FAMILY. 

THKRK  were  no  blinds  on  the  house,  and 
the  shades  scarcely  modified  the  daylight, 
which  began  before  the  night  was  half  finished. 
Our  sleep  was  disturbed  by  the  whooping  of  several 
steamboats,  evidently  caught  in  the  fog.  A  caucus 
of  crows  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  noisily 
discussed  some  political  measure  which  may  have 
been  important  to  them,  but  which  we  should  ?11 
have  been  glad  to  have  laid  on  the  table,  with  a 
motion  for  adjournment  in  order.  \Ye  had  for 
tunately  retired  early,  and  were  disposed  to  sleep, 
but  we  all  waked  at  an  unconscionably  early  hour. 
Experience  had  taught  me  that  the  trilling  incon 
venience  of  sleeping  in  unshaded  rooms  was  soon 
conquered  by  the  quickly  -  acquired  habit.  This 
proved  to  be  the  case.  Uefore  a  week  had  passed, 
nothing,  either  tooting  tugs,  or  gossiping  crows,  or 
premature  sunrises,  disturbed  our  morning  naps. 

While  we   were   at  breakfast    the    fogs    suddenly 

vanished  ;   a  splendid  Hood  of  sunshine  poured    in 

through    the    four    windows    facing    the   bay.     The 

islands  that  shut  out  the  open  ocean  stood  out  clis- 

80 


ox  THE  POIXT.  8 1 

tinctly,  and  the  glorious  range  of  mountains  that 
shut  in  the  perspective  on  one  side,  glowed  like 
opals  in  the  vibrating  distance.  This  change  in 
the  weather  was  sufficient  to  send  up  the  barometer 
of  our  feelings. 

Margaret  always  made  the  coffee  for  us.  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  declaring  that  this  accomplishment 
alone  would  ensure  a  husband's  happiness.  No 
man  could  resist  its  charm.  It  would  lift  the  bur 
dens  of  the  day  with  a  start  at  the  very  beginning, 
and  fill  the  heart  with  that  perfect  satisfaction  which 
includes  just  the  right  degree  of  self-satisfaction. 

The  cottage  stood  on  a  low  bluff,  the  land  run 
ning  down  to  an  abrupt  bank,  perhaps  twenty-five 
feet  high,  at  the  foot  of  which  the  ripples  of  the 
fioodtide  lapped  large  bowlders.  At  low  tide  a 
pebbly  beach,  varied  with  rocks  and  ledges,  extended 
out  eighty  or  a  hundred  feet.  A  flight  of  unsafe 
but  easily-mended  steps  led  down  to  what  at  first 
I  took  to  be  a  bathing-house,  but  proved  to  be  a 
fish-house. 

By  the  way,  that  poem  of  Heine's,  — 


illustrates  what  Fancy  can  do.  If  Heine's  fish- 
house  smelt  like  ours  no  one  would  have  sat  by  it, 
especially  after  the  fog  began  to  come  up. 

In  front  of   the  fish-house  a  long  weir  extended 


82  av  THE  POIXT. 

out  into  deep  water,  ending  in  a  little  cluster  of 
poles  decorated  with  a  net. 

Fishing  for  salmon  is  royal  sport,  with  its  whir  of 
reel  and  bending  rod  and  gamy  prey  darting  down 
the  rapids  of  some  forest-guarded  stream.  I  looked 
with  a  sort  of  grief  on  the  fierce  big  fish,  left  high 
by  his  enemy,  the  falling  tide,  and  gasping  in  the 
meshes  of  that  fatal  net,  helpless  and  so  shabbily 
led  to  his  inglorious  destruction. 

"  Chamfray,"  said  I,  with  quickly-learned  famil 
iarity,  to  the  master  of  the  weirs,  "  many  salmon 
this  year  ? " 

"  Not 's  many 's  usual.  Seventy-five  so  fur.  Only 
thirteen  days  left.  Then  the  law  's  on  and  the  nets 
have  to  come  off." 

"  ( )h,  Mr.  Chamfray,  I  do  wish  you  'd  get  us 
one  !  "  exclaimed  Margaret,  who  was  standing  with 
us  as  we  talked. 

"Git  you  one!  Course,  I  will.  Git  you  one  to- 
morra  'f  I  ken." 

"  How  about  lobsters  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Merrithew, 
coming  down  to  the  bank  where  we  were. 

"  Lobsters  ?  Got  'nough  pots  out,  but  lobsters  's 
skarse  !  Dunno  why  they  be,  but  they  be." 

"  Have  n't  you  any  to-day  ?  " 

"  No,  hain't  got  none.  Hev  one  to-morra.  Want 
one  to-morra  ? " 

"  Certainly  we  do,"  we  all  exclaimed  in  a  breath. 

Chamfray  was  a  tall,  good-looking  man,  but  evi- 


ox  THE  POIXT.  83 

dently  not  blessed  or  cursed  with  much  enterprise  ; 
one  of  those  shiftless,  happy-go-lucky  fellows,  whose 
wives  do  all  the  work,  and  whose  sole  object  or  pur 
pose  in  life  seems  to  be  to  fill  tumble-down  hovels 
with  children  as  shiftless  as  themselves. 

I  don't  know  how  many  times  during  the  next 
few  weeks  we  hailed  Brother  Chamfray  with, — 

"  Any  lobsters  to-day  ?  " 

And  the  answer  was  almost  invariably  the 
same  : 

"  No,  hain't  got  none.  Hev  one  to-morra.  \Yant 
one  to-morra  ? " 

And  the  next  day  't  would  be  : 

'•  Well,  Chamfray,  you  promised  us  a  lobster 
to-day.  Did  you  bring  it?" 

"  Xo,  forgot  to  bait  my  traps  !  "  or,  "  No ;  some 
one  stole  my  bait.  Hain't  got  none  to-day  ;  hev  one 
to-morra.  \Yant  one  to-morra?" 

It  was  not  from  Chamfray  that  we  got  the  deli 
cious  lobsters  which  Margaret  made  into  salad,  with 
lettuce  given  us  by  one  of  our  neighbors, —  a  salad 
rendered  irresistible  with  pure  cider  vinegar  and 
the  olive  oil  of  la  rcurc  Chaffani,  peace  to  her 
husband's  memory. 

Chamfray  did  bring  us  the  salmon,  however ;  I 
will  give  him  the  credit  for  that ;  and  as  he  held  it 
up  for  us  to  admire,  he  told  us  how  the  epicures, 
who  hungered  for  the  first  salmon  of  the  season, 
made  the  price  of  the  fish  at  the  weirs  nearly  two 


84  o.v  THE  ro/\T. 

dollars  a  pound  in  the  early  spring,  and  how  in 
one  weir,  —  not  his,  you  may  be  sure  ;  nor,  by  the 
way,  did  he  ever  get  one  dollar  and  seventy-five 
cents  a  pound  for  his  salmon,  —  how  in  one  weir 
that  spring  they  had  taken  a  salmon  that  weighed 
upwards  of  forty  pounds. 

"  You  see,  Margaret,"  said  I,  affecting  to  be  very 
wise,  "the  salmon  follow  along  the  shore  on  their 
way  up  from  the  ocean  to  the  river,  and  when  they 
meet  the  obstruction  of  these  thickly  set  poles,  they 
follow  them  out  and  run  into  the  pound  at  the  end, 
and  they  have  n't  common-sense,  and  never  dream 
of  turning  back,  but  follow  their  noses  till  they  are 
hopelessly  entangled  in  the  pocket  of  the  net.'' 

"  I  think  it  is  mean  business  to  cheat  the  poor 
things  so  !  "  exclaimed  Margaret,  indignantly. 

"  I  don't  know  as  it  is  any  meaner  than  to  catch 
them  with  a  hook,''  said  I.  "  It  's  their  own  fault  if 
they  are  such  fools  as  to  run  their  noses  into  traps 
and  nets." 

A  short  distance  below  the  house  was  a  gayly- 
painted  little  structure. 

After  breakfast,  that  first  morning,  Alfred  and 
Magnus,  Jr.,  full  of  the  spirit  of  the  explorer, 
dragged  their  sister  off  to  investigate. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  asked,  when  they  came  back. 

"  Oh  !  it 's  a  spring  house,"  said  Margaret. 

"  Yes,"  cried  Alfred  ;  "  there 's  a  post  which  says 
'  Mineral  Spring'  on  it." 

"  Could  you  get  inside  ?  " 


o.v  THE  roixr.  85 

"  No  ;  it 's  locked  ;  but  we  could  look  through  the 
window." 

"  There 's  nothing  much  in  it,"  said  Magnus, 
Jr.;  "nothing  but  a  couple  of  chairs  and  a  table." 

"  We  found  the  spring,  though  ;  its  all  red  round 
it,  and  the  water  tastes  bad." 

"  Must  be  iron  in  it,"  I  said,  with  some  pride  at 
being  able  to  air  intuitive  knowledge  before  my 
children. 

"  And  see  what  we  've  brought  home,  papa." 

They  exhibited  each  a  handful  of  wild  straw 
berries. 

"  I  guess  we  can  pick  enough  for  tea,"  said 
Margaret. 

They  did,  and  for  days  after  we  had  abundant 
supplies  of  them. 

The  lighthouse-keeper's  lugubrious  prognostica 
tions  were  speedily  shown  to  be  mere  chimeras. 
Chamfray  kept  a  cow  and  engaged  to  sell  us  all  the 
milk  and  cream  we  needed.  He  even  volunteered 
to  teach  Margaret  how  to  milk.  She  took  one  or 
two  lessons,  her  education,  like  my  own,  having 
been  neglected  as  regarded  that  branch  of  home 
industry.  Margaret  learned,  too;  but  she  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  cow  was  the  most  obstrep 
erous,  cross-grained  brute  in  creation,  and  she 
declared  that  she  would  rather  tend  a  soda-fountain 
than  be  the  finest  milkmaid  in  popular  song. 

I  told  her  that  if  she  kept  on   and  became  pro- 


86  <9.V    THE   POIXT. 

ficient,  I  would  accept  the  offer  of  a  neighbor  at 
home  and  keep  a  cow  on  shares.  When  he  had 
approached  me  on  the  subject,  I  remember  con 
senting  to  the  arrangement  on  condition  that  1 
might  choose  my  half,  namely,  the  hinder  half ; 
whereat  he  went  off  in  high  dudgeon,  being  one  of 
those  men  who  can't  take  a  joke.  Margaret,  how 
ever,  declined  to  listen  to  any  such  program. 

That  first  morning  we  had  a  perfect  succession 
of  people  offering  their  services.  Farmer  Bigg, 
who  lived  on  the  nearest  hill,  in  a  house  distin 
guished,  as  the  boys  soon  discovered,  by  the 
presence  of  a  great  parrot  that  liked  to  have  them 
scratch  him  on  the  occiput,  —  that  was  Harold's 
favourite  word,  though  he  did  not  always  use  it 
correctly,  —  Farmer  Bigg  drove  up  in  a  craxy  old 
wagon,  which  broke  down  at  our  very  door.  He 
was  a  well-preserved  old  man,  with  bent  back,  white 
hair  and  very  shrewd,  twinkling  blue  eyes. 

"  Glad    to    see    this   cottage  opened,"  he   began. 

'•  If  you  want  any  vegetables,  I  can  furnish  'em. 
Want  any  butter  ?  " 

He  invited  us  to  visit  his  farm,  and  he  would 
show  us  "  some  of  the  forrardest  corn  and  beans 
anywheres  'bout.  Peas?  Hev  some  nex'  week, 
sure  pop.  Got  some  special  good  seed  from 
beyont  Bost'n,  —  from  a  man  'n  Dedh'm.'' 

A  little  later  some  of  the  cottage-neighbors 
came  around  to  inquire  if  they  could  be  of  any 


a\*    THE    POINT.  87 

assistance.  The  first  to  come  was  Mr.  Petti- 
champs,  one  of  the  oldest  summer  residents. 

Margaret  gave  him  a  very  lively  account  of  the 
lighthouse-keeper's  jeremiad. 

Mr.  Pettichamps  laughed :  "  Ho !  Ho ! "  he 
said,  "It's  no  such  thing.  You'll  have  no  diffi 
culty  in  getting  all  the  provisions  you  want.  My 
wife  and  I  have  been  down  here  for  more  'n  twenty 
years,  and  \ve  never  starved  yet.  Any  time  you 
want  to  send  to  the  village,  why  1  '11  be  glad  to  do 
your  errands ;  and  if  I  happen  to  have  an  extra  seat 
in  my  carriage,  nothing  '11  give  me  more  delight 
than  to  take  one  or  more  of  you  along." 

"  We  were  told  that  the  Point  was  only  three 
miles  from  the  port,"  I  remarked. 

"Who  told  you  that?" 

"  Oh,  they  told  me  so  at  the  office.  I  had  no 
idea  we  should  need  a  horse  down  here." 

"  Xeed  a  horse !  ho !  ho !  You  don't  need  a 
horse.  I  tell  you,  you  '11  get  along  all  right.  We 
all  of  us  do  each  other's  errands,  if  we  happen  to 
be  going  over  to  the  village." 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  very  kind.  Mrs.  Merrithew 
was  quite  discouraged  last  night.  We  thought 
that  if  we  had  to  pay  a  dollar  every  time  we  went 
to  the  village  it  would  ruin  us." 

'•  I  'in  sorry  the  lighthouse-keeper  said  anything 
about  the  scarlet  fever.  But  I  can  assure  you  the 
house  was  thoroughlv  fumigated.  No  danger  at 


88  ON    THE    rOIXT. 

all.  Only  one  child  had  it,  anyway,  and  a  very 
mild  case.  The  other  children  were  here  all  the 
rest  of  the  summer  and  didn't  catch  it.  You're  all 
right.  No  danger  at  all.  13y  the  way,  perhaps 
Miss  Merrithew  would  like  to  ride  over  to  the 
village  now.  There  's  an  extra  seat.  She  can  take 
her  little  sister  along,  if  she'd  like." 

That  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  polite 
services  which  never  ceased  through  the  entire 
time  we  were  at  the  Point.  Not  one  of  these 
people  had  we  ever  seen  before ;  but  with  one 
accord  they  welcomed  us  to  their  society,  treated 
us  as  if  we  were  relatives,  instead  of  strangers,  and 
quite  overwhelmed  us  with  their  attentions.  It  will 
always  be  a  keen  regret  to  us  all  that  we  were  and 
ever  shall  be  unable  to  requite  a  tithe  of  it. 


IX. 


IN    WHICH     MR.     MERRITHEW     DESCRIBES    THE    POINT, 

AND    (JIVES    HINTS    ON    THE    FORMATION 

OF    A    LAND    COMPANY. 

THK  Point,  —  it  has  a  specific  name  of  course, 
but  to  its  lover  is  distinctively  THK  point,— 
just    as    the    Episcopal    Church    is    THK    Church, 
—  the   Point  is  a  peninsula  jutting  from    a   penin 
sula.     The  southern  end,  looking  down  the  bay,  is 
charted,   and  very  possibly  learned  by   young   stu 
dents  of  geography  as   a  cape.     On   the    northern 
end,  perched  on  high,  precipitous  rocks,  stands  the 
lighthouse,  which  enlightens  sea  and  land ;  for  its 


QO  oj\'  THE  roix'i: 

white  rays  at  night  illuminate  not  only  the  river  but 
also  the  "  street  "  that  meanders  along  the  bluff  out  to 
the  hotel.  The  views  all  along  the  bluff  vary  en- 
chantingly,  each  location  seeming  to  surpass  its 
neighbor.  One  cottage  —  there  are  not  more  than 
ten  —  gets  a  wider  view  of  mountains,  another 
takes  in  a  broader  sweep  of  the  bay,  still  another 
looks  up  the  river. 

In  the  bay  and  up  and  down  the  river  there  is  a 
constant  movement  of  vessels  :  now  a  steamboat 
sending  out  its  white  evanescent  plumes  of  salute, 
soon  followed  by  the  audible  three  whistles :  —  my 
friend,  the  Captain,  who  evidently  remembered  my 
daughter's  visit  in  his  pilot-house,  invariably  saluted, 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  small  folk,  who  returned 
it  with  squeals  that  might  have  been  heard  a  mile, 
while  I  myself  at  last  procured  a  fish-horn  from  the 
village,  and  amid  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs, 
aprons,  towels,  sheets,  whatever  was  large  and  white, 
blew  a  blast  "  worth  a  thousand  men.''  Kven  then 
I  always  regretted  lacking  the  peculiar  vehemence 
of  old  General  Hornblower,  who  had  only  to  go  on 
his  piazza  and  blow  three  blasts  on  his  nose  with  a 
red  bandanna  to  bring  forth  a  response  from  tug, 
yacht  or  steamboat.  But  such  geniuses  are  rare, 
and  perhaps  it  is  just  as  well  for  the  world  in 
general. 

The  children  found  constant  delight  in  watching 
the  tug-boats,  now  bringing  down  to  the  roadstead  a 


OAT   THE   POINT.  9 1 

four-master  deeply  laden  with  ice,  now  hastening 
back  again  with  perhaps  a  full-rigged  ship  in  ballast, 
with  its  huge  sides  rising  high  above  the  water. 
Oftentimes  when  the  wind  turned  favorable  a  whole 
fleet  of  coasting  vessels  would  take  advantage  of  it 
to  spread  their  wings,  —  rather  patched  and  dirty 
wings  it  must  be  confessed,  but  always  picturesque. 
Xow  and  then  a  private  yacht  would  come  up  the 
bay. 

In  all  directions,  except  one  or  two,  are  beautiful 
hills,  here  and  there  stretching  away  till  they  rise 
into  mountains,  whose  lovely  distant  outlines  and 
flanks  are  constantly  changing  their  gem-like  hues. 

Certainly  a  lovelier  spot  cannot  be  found.  Groves, 
in  which  the  lady-like  white  birch  contrasts  with  the 
more  sombre  evergreens,  crowd  down  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  bluff ;  waters  abounding  in  delicious 
fish  :  woods,  which  as  I  soon  found,  afforded  abun 
dant  store  of  coot,  black-breasted  plover,  wild  ducks, 
yellow-legs  and  (later)  partridges,  while  once  I 
thought  I  had  ocular  confirmation  of  the  legend  of 
deer  haunting  the  wilder  lands  of  the  Point.  If  I 
had  only  been  educated  to  shoot !  I  had  a  gun,  but 
the  game  generally  went  off  before  the  gun  did. 

Comparatively  few  people  know  about  this  little 
paradise.  Its  neglect  has  been  quite  phenomenal. 
Thousands  of  eyes  have  looked  on  it  from  passing 
vessels  ;  but  though  so  near  they  simply  passed,  and 
if  thev  wondered,  their  wonder  was  not  strong 


f)2  O.Y    THE 

enough  to  rise  to  curiosity.  "  The  world  forgetting 
by  the  world  forgot  "  was  the  line  that  frequently 
arose  to  my  mind.  It  came  with  especial  force 
when,  one  day,  wandering  about  as  Margaret  and  I 
were,  we  came  on  a  cottage  at  quite  a  distance  from 
the  lighthouse,  —  a  cottage  which  boie  some  signs 
of  comfort  and  thrift.  In  it  sat  an  old  lady  who  we 
found  was  delighted  to  have  visitors  into  whose  ears 
she  could  pour  her  simple  story.  In  a  few  months  she 
would  be  one  hundred  and  three  years  old.  She 
was  called  Aunt  Polly,  and  though  she  boasted  that 
she  had  lived  in  two  States,  three  counties  and 
four  towns,  she  had  never  in  her  long  life  been 
more  than  five  miles  from  the  house  where  she 
was  born  ;  she  had  never  seen  railroad  engine  or 
been  on  board  a  steamboat.  She  remembered 
events  that  took  place  ninety  years  previous,  but 
her  recollection  of  recent  things  was  faint.  She 
was  the  typical  example  of  the  natives  of  the  Point. 

The  Point  ought  to  have  been  known  and  might 
have  been  known,  but  it  was  the  victim  of  a  land 
company. 

A  "  syndicate "  had  bought  nearly  all  the  land 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  lighthouse.  I'n- 
fortunately,  one  man  who  owned  a  strip  from  shore 
to  shore  had  shown  a  disposition  to  be  disagreeable. 
He  had  been  a  man  of  wealth  and  enterprise,  but 
had,  so  it  was  said,  dissipated  several  inherited 
and  acquired  fortunes.  A  big  bell  on  his  barn 


av  THE  POINT.  93 

was  pointed  out  as  having  in  previous  years  been 
rung  every  time  he  took  a  drink ;  it  was  ringing 
most  of  the  time.  He  had  refused  to  sell  any  of 
his  land  at  any  price,  though  the  bluff  in  front 
of  his  house  commanded  the  most  attractive  views. 
A  large  and  beautiful  grove  of  white  birches  often 
invited  strangers  to  repose  under  its  pleasant 
shade,  but  he  invariably  warned  them  off  with 
anything  but  pleasant  language.  He  had  even 
refused  to  allow  people  to  take  a  short  cut  by 
a  path  that  led  across  a  corner  of  his  back-lot 
from  the  wharf  to  the  other  cottages,  and  frequently 
drove  ladies  back,  compelling  them  to  go  round 
the  longer  way.  As  he  held  a  sort  of  coigne  of 
vantage,  this  man  was  by  many  regarded  as 
responsible  for  the  failure  of  the  land  company. 

One  of  the  principal  members  of  the  syndicate, 
taking  umbrage  at  some  plan  that  was  decided 
on  against  his  better  judgment,  entirely  withdrew 
from  the  committee,  boarded  up  the  windows  of 
his  own  cottage,  the  most  expensive  one  at  the 
Point,  and  refused  either  to  sell  it,  to  rent  it,  or  to 
open  it.  The  hotel,  costing  upwards  of  $100,000, 
which  had  been  opened  the  first  season  with  great 
eclat,  went  from  excellent  to  fair,  from  fair  to 
bad,  and  from  bad  to  worse.  It  had  changed 
hands  almost  every  year,  and  on  our  arrival  had 
just  been  sold  for  a  trifle  to  a  man  who  had 
never  run  a  hotel  in  his  life.  The  steamboats 


94  o.v  THE  rorxT. 

which  had  formerly  —  that  is  for  a  few  seasons  — 
stopped  at  the  Point,  now  passed  by.  Several  of 
the  cottages  were  allowed  to  go  to  rack  and  ruin. 
Foundations  of  cellars  where  cottages  had  been 
begun  gave  an  air  of  decay  to  many  a  sightly 
location. 

Vet  it  was  evident  to  my  mind  that  judicious 
management  and  small  further  expenditure  might 
still  make  the  place  a  success.  There  is  every 
attraction  for  those  who  like  a  simple,  uncumbered 
summer  life.  The  Point  bay,  which  is  a  sort  of 
roadstead  back  of  the  Point,  affords  anchorage  for 
a  fleet  of  yachts  and  sail-boats.  Sailing  is  delight 
ful  in  every  direction,  with  endless  excursions. 
The  drives  are  not  so  varied,  but  are  nevertheless 
attractive.  There  is  a  tonic  in  the  air.  The 
perfume  of  pine  and  lir-  balsam  can  be  detected 
for  a  mile  from  the  shore ;  the  south  wind  comes 
across  leagues  of  ice-cold  brine. 

As  I  take  great  delight  in  looking  over  old 
records,  I  discovered  that  the  town  nearly  half 
a  century  before  had  laid  out  a  road  from  the 
turnpike  to  the  present  situation  of  the  wharf, 
and  I  called  it  to  the  attention  of  the  selectmen, 
who  were  advised  that  if  they  wanted  to  take 
advantage  of  the  profit  that  summer  residents 
brought,  it  would  be  as  well  to  make  their 
surroundings  attractive. 

The  selectmen   saw  the  point,   and  at  their  first 


o.v  THE  POINT.  95 

meeting  voted  unanimously  to  restore  the  long- 
forgotten  road.  Our  unpopular  neighbor,  Mr.  Fox, 
who  had  sown  his  grounds  with  signs  —  "Private 
grounds  :  no  trespassing,"  and  had  filled  the  short 
cut  path  with  brush  to  impede  pedestrians,  got 
wind  of  the  meeting  and  hastened  over  to  try  to 
balk  the  measure.  Fortunately  he  was  too  late. 

I  never  could  understand  why  our  coast  towns, 
especially  those  that  have  great  attractions  of 
scenery,  groves  and  bluffs  and  beaches,  should 
not  take  example  from  experience  and  organize 
their  own  land  companies,  lay  out  roads  along 
the  shore,  set  apart  localities  for  parks,  make  re 
strictions  as  to  the  quality  and  style  of  buildings, 
and  thus  make  enough  profit  to  pay  the  expense 
of  such  improvements  forever.  But  the  inland 
villagers  are  so  apt  to  be  jealous  of  those  who 
live  near  the  water!  I  know  one  little  town  — 
indeed  it  was  my  favorite  village  of  Gunkit  —  where 
for  years  the  "folks  back"  fought  tooth  and  nail 
against  building  a  bridge  across  the  river.  It  is 
the  old  story  of  the  heels  being  jealous  of  the  head. 


CHAPTER    X. 

FOURTH    OF    JULY    AM)    OTHKR    DAYS    AT    THE    POINT. 

THE    day  after  our  arrival   at    the    Governor's 
cottage  was  the    Eourth  of  July.      It  made  a 
pretty  good  day  to  count  from ;  for  afterwards  there 
was  no  especial  manner  of  distinguishing  one  day 
from  another. 

Nature  does  not  in  the  slightest  degree  mark 
Sunday  from  the  secular  clays  of  the  week.  There 
is  no  Sabbath  for  Mother  Nature.  The  birds  sing, 
the  squirrels  play,  the  tides  rise  and  fall,  thunder 
storms  come  up  and  knock  off  church  steeples,  re 
gardless  of  denomination  ;  ants  build  their  cities, 
96 


ON   THE   POINT.  97 

and  offer  just  as  didactic  a  spectacle  as  in  the  days 
of  Solomon.  We  were  too  far  away  from  the  vil 
lage  to  hear  the  church  bell,  —  if,  indeed,  there  was 
one. 

We  began  our  summer  practically  with  the 
Fourth  of  July.  It  was  a  great  day  for  the  boys. 
I  had  skimped  and  spared  for  several  weeks  in 
order  to  justify  myself  in  the  purchase  of  a  liberal 
supply  of  fireworks.  I  will  say  here,  to  my  own 
credit,  that,  though  I  am  exceedingly  fond  of  a 
good  cigar,  I  did  not  buy  one  for  a  long  time,  as 
self-sacrifice  seemed  to  be  the  easiest  way  of  econo 
mizing. 

If  we  had  stayed  at  home,  those  two  boys  would 
have  been  up  at  some  unearthly  hour,  making 
night  hideous  with  their  horns  and  torpedoes.  ]>ut 
I  had  bribed  them  to  be  good  fellows,  and  sleep  as 
late  as  possible.  After  breakfast  they  were  per 
mitted  to  celebrate  as  noisily  as  they  pleased. 

As  the  tide  served  right,  I  borrowed  a  boat  which 
one  of  the  neighbors  had  told  me  was  at  my  ser 
vice  at  any  time,  and  took  Margaret  and  the  two 
boys  out  for  a  row.  When  we  came  back  we  tied 
to  the  end  of  the  weir,  and  caught  a  pretty  "  mess  of 
dinners,"  which  Chamfray's  oldest  boy  kindly  "skim" 
for  us.  Alfred  quickly  caught  the  trick,  and  after 
that  first  morning  proudly  took  his  place  as  past- 
master  in  the  delicate  art  of  preparing  our  fish. 

Margaret    was    a    great    adept    in    fishing.       She 


98  OA'    THE    POINT. 

would  unhinge  the  clam  with  a  deft  movement  of 
the  knife,  and  cateh  more  fish  with  one  piece  of 
bait  than  any  person  I  ever  saw.  And  when  the 
fish  came  wriggling  from  the  water,  with  his  spines 
all  erect,  her  strong,  firm  hand  would  grasp  him 
under  the  gills,  and  disengage  the  hook  with  more 
than  professional  skill.  But  how  that  girl  did 
abominate  sculpin !  She  had  one  tremendous 
bite.  She  thought  it  was  at  least  a  shark,  and 
pulled  in  manfully.  It  proved  to  be  the  biggest 
toad-sculpin  that  ever  left  the  element.  She  let 
him  lie  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  until  he  swelled 
up,  and  then  she  relentlessly  threw  him  overboard, 
and  laughed  —  a  little  heartlessly,  I  thought  —  to 
see  him  floating  off,  as  unable  to  sink  as  a  Guiana 
spider.  There  was  something  rather  significant  in 
that  heartlessness,  and  I  wondered  whether,  should 
she  ever  engage  in  the  more  dangerous  sport  of 
fishing  for  men,  she  would  Ming  them  over  with 
equal  lack  of  ruth. 

Here,  although  it  interrupts  the  narration  to  a 
certain  extent,  I  don't  know  why  I  should  not  re 
late  a  little  espiode  that  a  few  days  later  came 
under  my  observation  quite  accidentally.  To  me, 
Margaret  has  always  been  the  type  of  gentle  filial 
obedience.  She  has  a  will  of  her  own,  of  course ; 
but  I  think  her  mother  and  I  were  wise  enough  to 
guide  rather  than  to  thwart  it.  \Ye  were  —  or,  at 
least,  I  was  —  far  wiser  with  her  than  with  the  boys. 


OAr    THE   POINT.  99 

A  child's  attention  is  easily  diverted,  and  the  old 
military  rule,  divide  ct  imperil,  holds  in  domestic 
discipline.  But  in  spite  of  a  parent's  close  study 
of  a  child,  however  much  they  may  be  together,  it 
is  only  by  a  small  segment  that  the  circles  of  their 
lives  intersect.  The  larger  part  of  a  child's  life 
and  thought  is  out  of  the  parents'  sight.  We  all 
stand  for  the  most  part  quite  isolated,  touching  only 
like  bubbles  in  soapsuds. 

As  I  have  said,  1  am  convinced  that  Margaret 
has  a  peculiarly  tender  and  feminine  spirit.  Im 
agine  my  amazement,  therefore,  one  clay,  a  week 
or  two  later,  to  surprise  her  intently  studying  what, 
if  it  had  been  magnified,  would  have  been  as 
bloody  and  frightful  a  spectacle  as  a  Spanish  or 
Mexican  bull-fight. 

She  had  got  a  number  of  spiders  of  various 
colors  and  sizes,  and  imprisoned  them  in  a  large 
box,  which  she  had  covered  with  a  pane  of  glass ; 
and  there  that  delicately-nurtured,  refined  young 
woman,  my  pet  and  admiration,  was  studying,  with 
a  sort  of  horrified  fascination,  the  battle  a  l\>utrancc. 
that  was  progressing,  the  internecine  war  that  was 
exterminating  all  her  captives. 

Perhaps  in  some  such  spirit  some  beautiful 
Roman  girl  may  have  sat  in  her  seat  in  the 
Coliseum  and  applauded  the  duels  that  stained 
the  arena  with  crimson  gore.  She  was  too  intent 
and  too  much  preoccupied  to  be  abashed  at  my 


IOO  OAr    THE   POINT. 

presence.  She  had  the  hardihood  to  hid  me  also 
watch  the  terrible  conflict  in  which  the  spiders 
first  engaged  two  and  two,  and  then  each  of  the 
survivors  took  up  the  feud,  until  only  two  champions 
were  left,  and  these,  with  mutilated  limbs,  wrestled 
in  deadly  embrace. 

Was  it  a  morbid  curiosity  that  led  her  to  enjoy, 
or,  at  least,  to  study  such  a  spectacle  ?  Was  it  the 
strange  outcropping  of  inheritance,  which,  descend 
ing  from  some  remote  ancestor,  prompted  her  to 
revel  in  this  miniature  tournament  ?  Was  she 
really  cruel  ? 

But  I  have  known  her  to  weep  over  the  sufferings 
of  some  wounded  pet.  She  would  often  bring  home, 
when  a  girl,  some  forlorn  cat,  or  some  disreputable 
pup,  tortured  by  thoughtless  boys.  And  for  human 
suffering  no  one  had  a  tenderer  pity.  She  often 
said  that  if  she  had  not  elected  music  to  be  her 
profession  —  for  she  was  even  now  quite  capable 
of  earning  her  own  living  by  it  —  she  should  study 
to  be  a  trained  nurse. 

No;  it  was  one  of  those  strange  impulses  that 
waken  in  our  hearts.  I  presume  it  was  the  same 
in  me  when  once  I  caught  a  fly  and  tenderly  placed 
him  on  a  piece  of  poisoned  fly-paper  in  order  that 
I  might  study  the  action  of  poison  on  the  nerve- 
centers  of  musca  domcstica .' 

The  boys  also  did  their  share  in  hauling  in  the 
fish,  though  Magnus,  Jr.,  persisted  in  keeping  his 


OJV    THE    POINT.  101 

hook  near  the  top  of  the  water,  and  therefore 
secured  only  the  vivacious  but  useless  polluck, 
while  Alfred,  who  let  his  down  too  far,  got  only 
flounders  and  sculpins.  The  place  was  "  very 
poisonous,"  to  use  the  translation  which  a  college 
friend  of  mine  made  of  the  French  tres poissoneuse, 
and  we  soon  had  a  fine  "kettle  of  fish." 

After  it  was  dark  enough,  that  evening,  I  set 
off  the  fireworks,  to  the  great  delight  of  the 
small  boys.  We  happened  to  be  the  only  people 
on  the  Point  who  celebrated  to  any  such  extent, 
and  our  efforts  to  enliven  the  close  of  the  day 
were  appreciated  by  several  of  our  neighbors, 
who  came  and  sat  on  the  piazza  with  Mrs. 
Merrithew  and  Margaret.  In  the  distance,  across 
the  bay,  and  farther  down  there  were  also  cele 
brations,  as  we  could  see  by  the  frequent  flashing 
up  of  jets  of  light,  as  if  the  earth  were  returning 
to  the  skies  some  of  the  meteoric  showers  that 
have  been  lavished  on  us. 

I  might  add,  as  a  crowning  touch  to  this  unevent 
ful  but  pleasant  day,  we  had  some  coffee  ice-cream. 
Of  course  we  had  no  freezer,  but  as  a  neighbor, 
in  the  warmth  of  his  heart,  had  sent  us  a  piece 
of  ice  from  his  ice-house,  and  it  would  have  melted 
away  as  fast  as  the  clay,  for  we  had  no  refrigerator, 
it  occurred  to  Margaret  to  utilize  it  in  making 
ice-cream.  And  my  wife,  who  is  nothing  if  not 
fertile  in  expedients,  manufactured  the  delicate 


102  OX    THE    POIXT. 

compound  by  whirling  the  pail  full  of  cream,  in 
a  bucket  packed  with  salt  and  ice.  Our  visitors 
had  a  taste  of  it,  and  were  so  impressed  with 
its  qualities  that  they  asked  Mrs.  Merrithew  for 
her  pattern. 

It  by  no  means  enters  into  my  purpose  to  give 
a  diary  of  the  days  that  followed.  Blessed  is  that 
country  that  hath  no  history,  and  the  simple 
enjoyments  of  our  secluded  retreat  were  by  no 
means  exciting  or  dramatic.  The  boys  found 
constant  pleasure  in  sending  off  shingle  boats. 
rigged  with  one  or  more  masts  that  bore  ample 
sails  made  of  newspapers.  The  changes  made 
in  the  shore  line  by  the  rising  and  falling  of 
the  tide  gave  them  also  variety,  and  more  than 
once  one  or  both  of  them  came  in  with  clothes 
well  soaked,  when  they  had  allowed  themselves 
to  get  caught  on  some  outlying  bowlder  and  cut 
off  by  the  slyly-rising  waters. 

The  high-water  mark  was  lined  with  drift-wood, 
—  shingles  and  boards  and  other  odds  and  ends 
from  the  great  mills  up  the  river,  broken  logs, 
stumps  and  pieces  of  dismantled  vessels.  In  a 
few  moments  one  could  collect  enough  firewood 
to  last  two  or  three  evenings.  The  boys  and  I 
made  a  great  pile  of  it,  and  then  finding  that 
Chamfray  had  a  steer  that  he  hitched  up  jnto 
a  sort  of  rough  cart,  I  engaged  him  to  haul  this 
up  to  the  cottage. 


O.Y    THE   POINT.  103 

Most  evenings  were  cool  enough  for  a  little 
blaze,  and  often,  even  when  we  knew  that  at  home 
the  temperature  was  almost  unendurable,  we  found 
a  good  blazing  pitch-pine  log  not  pnly  compan 
ionable  but  comfortable.  Several  times  we  were 
delighted  by  getting  a  coruscating  piece  of  drift 
wood,  —  some  part  of  the  copper-impregnated  hull 
of  a  vessel.  And  then  we  would  extinguish 
the  lamp,  and  sit  around  the  fireplace,  telling 
stories  of  adventure  real  or  imaginary,  or  Margaret 
would  get  out  her  zither  and  improvise  haunting 
spirit-like  melodies. 

She  mourned  for  her  piano,  or  at  least  I  could 
see  that  she  longed  to  have  it,  and  when  we  found 
that  the  hotel  was  likely  to  have  but  few  guests, 
and  that  the  piano  there  belonged  to  the  kindest 
and  most  assiduous  of  our  neighbors,  one,  indeed, 
of  the  original  props  of  the  land  company,  I 
proposed  to  him  to  hire  it  for  the  rest  of  the  sum 
mer.  He  instantly  consented,  but  refused  to  take 
any  money  for  its  use,  and  even  went  to  the  unne 
cessary  trouble  of  having  it  moved  to  our  cottage. 
We  found  that  he  had  had  some  little  trouble 
with  the  new  proprietor,  and  was  not  sorry  to  rescue 
the  piano  from  the  hotel.  In  answer  to  all  protes 
tations  he  declared  that  if  he  could  only  come  and 
hear  Margaret  play  occasionally  he  should  feel 
amply  repaid.  This  was  only  one  sample  of  the 
unceasing  kindness  of  our  neighbors,  the  cottagers. 


IO4  OAT   THE   rO/A'T. 

Of  course  the  piano  was  a  great  resource,  though 
I  have  heard  grand  pianos  with  a  fuller  tone  and 
better  in  tune.  It  helped  admirably  to  fill  the 
bareness  of  the  parlor. 

I  must  also  tell  how  we  relieved  the  white  wastes 
of  the  unpapered  walls.  Knowing  that  TJic  Art 
Amateur  published  each  month  a  supplement  con 
sisting  of  a  reproduction  of  some  marine  view, 
landscape  or  figure  piece,  I  wrote  to  the  editor  and 
asked  him  to  select  ten  or  fifteen  of  the  most 
decorative  of  these,  and  send  them,  together  with 
his  bill.  A  few  days  later  we  received  them,  with  a 
most  polite  and  courteous  note,  flattering  my  pride 
not  a  little  with  the  remark  that  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  my  literary  work,  and  took  pleas 
ure  in  contributing  to  the  decoration  of  my  summer 
cottage. 

Margaret  and  Mrs.  Merrithew  reflected  great 
credit  on  themselves  by  their  artistic  and  ingenious 
arrangement  of  these  paintings  on  the  walls,  and  I 
assure  you  we  looked  as  though  we  had  just  estab 
lished  a  picture  gallery. 

Of  course  I  had  to  endure  some  sarcasms 
because  I  sat  in  my  chair  and  criticised  the  sym 
metry  of  their  arrangements  instead  of  actually 
helping;  but  I  insisted  stoutly  that  the  critic  was 
just  as  essential  to  art  as  the  artist  or  the  picture- 
hanger  ;  indeed,  that  but  for  the  critic  there  would 
be  no  stimulus  for  improvement.  Besides,  had  I 


av  /'///•:  FOIXT.  105 

not  done  my  share  in  procuring  some  boards,  and  a 
saw,  and  a  hammer,  and  some  nails,  and  showing 
my  dexterity  by  mending  several  rotten  places  in 
the  piazza  ?  Later,  also,  was  it  not  I  who  put  up 
the  screen  doors,  and  at  the  risk  of  life  and  limb, 
tacked  mosquito  netting  over  all  the  bedroom  win 
dows,  whereby  when  the  flies  came  there  was  no 
way  for  them  to  get  out  —  and  I  was  driven  nearly 
insane  by  these  mischievous,  pestilential,  flying  ele 
phants,  with  their  tickling  probosces,  insisting  on 
making  my  bald  spot  a  common  ground  for  prom 
enading  and  other  festivities  dear  to  their  hearts. 
In  such  circumstances  a  man  is  justified  in  calling 
on  Beelzebub,  the  god  of  flies,  according  to  Assy 
rian  mythology,  provided  he  does  not  mean  the 
word  for  a  covert  allusion  to  the  father  of  lies. 

I  may  anticipate  a  little,  as  I  am  in  the  habit  of 
doing,  by  stating  here,  that  at  last  one  day,  in  sheer 
desperation,  I  procured  some  sticky  fly-paper,  and 
cutting  it  into  several  pieces,  exposed  it  where  the 
flies  were  thickest.  Would  you  believe  it,  those 
flies  had  a  presentiment  that  something  was  wrong; 
they  would  go  and  smell  of  it,  and  rub  their  hind 
legs  together.  I  sat  for  half  an  hour  watching  for 
one  single  fly  to  adhere.  Finally,  I  caught  one  my 
self  and  put  him  on,  but  the  principle  of  the  decoy 
did  not  work  at  all ;  I  imagined  that  I  heard  him 
singing  to  his  contemporaries,  "  Beware  my  fate ! 
beware  my  fate,  O  fly  !  " 


io6  o.v  THE  roixr. 

I  was  called  out  for  a  little  while,  and  during  my 
absence  my  youngest  toddled  into  the  room  and 
calmly  proceeded  to  sit  down  on  one  of  those  pieces 
of  sticky  fly-paper  that  I  had  laid  on  the  floor  in 
the  dining-room,  where  the  Hies  seemed  to  gather 
most  thickly.  I  had  thought  of  fashioning  a 
sort  of  fool's-cap  out  of  the  stuff  for  my  own  head, 
but  the  result  of  my  infant's  experiments  put  a 
premature  end  to  this  scheme.  When  Mrs.  Merri- 
tliew  followed  her  hopeful,  with  suspicion  that  lie 
would  soon  be  in  mischief,  she  found  him  occupying 
more  space  on  that  cursed  fly-paper  than  would 
have  sufficed  for  all  the  Hies  in  the  house.  Not  only 
had  he  sat  on  one  piece,  whereby  his  dress  was 
ruined,  for  she  could  not  get  the  stains  off,  but  he 
had  reached  on  the  table  for  another  piece,  and  his 
poor  little  dimpled  hands  were  glued  to  it,  and  he- 
was  in  a  terrible  plight. 

This  was  merely  a  Hy-speck,  as  it  were,  on  the 
crystal  mirror  of  our  happiness. 

I  had  one  trial,  however,  which  I  met  manfully. 
I  felt  that  a  well-ordered  father  should  try  to  teach 
his  sons  something  useful,  and  so  each  day  I 
tackled  Harold  and  Magnus,  Jr.,  —  the  elder  on  the 
side  of  his  arithmetic,  which  had  been  neglected  in 
school,  the  other  in  spelling. 

Now  as  regards  spelling,  I  am  a  confirmed 
though  not  rabid,  phonetist.  I  abhor  the  sporadic 
and  unnecessary  '  u '  which  our  English  cousins  use 


aV    THE    POINT.  TO/ 

so  unsystematically  for  decorative  purposes  only. 
Spelling  is  not  my  strong  point.  I  have  entered,  in 
days  gone  by,  into  those  ridiculous  spelling  contests, 
in  which  oftentimes  a  chit  of  a  girl,  who  was  born 
to  spell  (for  the  thing  conies  not  by  observation,  but 
of  grace),  will  humiliate  those  infinitely  her  superior 
in  all  knowledge  ;  I  have  stood  up  in  line  and  been 
downed  at  a  shot  by  some  such  silly  word  as 
"•  sense.''  Therefore,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  in  practising  Alfred  in  the  recondite  mysteries 
of  orthography,  it  being  my  own  weak  point,  I 
frequently  lost  patience  with  him. 

These  duties  filled  my  mind  with  a  certain  satis 
faction,  though  Mrs.  Merrithew  would  sometimes 
assail  me  for  being  so  impatient. 

I  have  a  theory  about  the  education  of  the  young, 
and  1  mean  to  carry  it  out.  It  is  this:  while  a 
broad  foundation  of  culture  is  an  admirable  thing, 
and  a  college  course  offers  a  young  man  or  woman 
four  years  of  enjoyment  not  to  be  otherwise  ob 
tained,  a  more  essential  thing  is  to  have  a  boy 
or  girl  definitely  turned  in  early  life  toward  some 
dominant  purpose. 

I  have  a  friend  who  was  born  for  a  doctor.  As 
a  little  boy  he  loved  nothing  better  than  to  pore 
over  books  of  medicine,  and  his  learned  use  of 
technical  terms  used  to  amuse  his  mother,  who  was  a 
widow.  He  ought  to  have  been  encouraged  to  con 
tinue  that  study.  But  his  mother  laughed  at  him 


IO8  O.V    THE    POINT. 

so  much  that  he  grew  ashamed  and  lost  his  interest. 
If  she  had  kept  alive  the  (lame  of  his  enthusiasm  he 
might  have  made  a  most  successful  surgeon.  He 
became  a  third-rate  lawyer,  though  later  his  love 
for  medicine  returned,  and  he  used  to  dabble  in 
little  simple  operations  and  haunt  the  hospitals  when 
he  was  not  otherwise  busy. 

Now,  not  long  since  I  saw  a  sand-blast  machine. 
Sand  is  the  most  fleeting  and  unsubstantial  of  sub 
stances,  scarcely  more  than  a  liquid.  Hut  the 
sand-blast,  concentrating  these  tiny  particles  of 
crumbled  quartz,  quickly  cuts  away  any  hard  sub 
stance  that  offers  resistance.  Time  is  composed  of 
such  shifting,  liquid-like  particles;  and  if  a  mind 
can  apply  the  sand-blast  principle,  any  difficulty  can 
be  cut  through  and  any  task  accomplished.  So  I 
have  the  greatest  desire  to  make  my  boys  apply 
themselves. 

Margaret  is  a  fine  example  as  regards  music 
and  languages.  I  found  her  easily  directed  into 
the  application  of  this  principle,  and  she  is  grateful 
to  me  for  having  compelled  her  to  stick  to  it.  I 
intend  my  boys  to  have  the  same  feelings  of  grati 
tude,  but  I  am  afraid  they  are  not  so  amenable  to 
my  discipline.  They  are  more  slippery. 

The  larger  part  of  our  time  we  were  in  the  open 
air,  and  with  the  happiest  results.  \Ve  grew  brown 
or  red  according  to  our  complexions.  Margaret's 
beauty  was  certainly  greatly  enhanced  by  the  rich 


O.V    THE    PO/.Y7'. 

coat  of  tan  which  covered  her  face  so  evenly.  I 
became  as  burned  as  a  lobster,  and  my  face  peeled 
and  my  nose  was  sore.  I  tried  all  sorts  of  remedies, 
singly  and  together,  —  cream,  skim-milk,  oatmeal, 
vaseline,  soap  and  sugar,  cucumber-juice,  Ben 
Levy's  face-powder,  and  a  half-dozen  other  things 
suggested  or  offered  by  sympathizing  friends.  I 
don't  see  why  I  should  have  been  afflicted  with  such 
a  sensitive  skin,  but  I  notice  it  always  goes  with 
red  hair.  Now  Margaret's  hair  is  golden  and  her 
skin  fair,  but  she  does  n't  burn.  Natalie  and  I 
were  the  only  ones  who  enjoyed  this  distinction. 
But  we  were  all  as  healthy  as  dinners,  and  getting 
fat. 

The  days  passed  like  dreams. 


XL 


THE    MERRITHKWS    MAKK    VISITS. 

ONE  day,  early  in  August,  Mr.  1'ettichamps 
came  back  from  the  village  and  brought 
Margaret  a  letter. 

"From  Aclele !  "  she  cried,  as  soon  as  she  saw  the 
cover. 

"Oh,"  said  I,  "hurry  up  and  open  it,  and  relieve 
my  mind !  Which  of  those  young  men  has  she 
chosen  ?  " 

"  Why,  she  's  coming  to  visit  the  Franks  !  She  's 
coming  this  very  week  !  " 

"  Which    Franks  ? "    I    asked,  for  there  was    one 


<9.V    I'lIE    FO1XT.  I  I  I 

family  of  that  name  who  had  a  beautiful  estate  at 
the  foot  of  those  mountains  which  were  our  daily 
delight.  The  other  family,  also  acquaintances  of 
ours,  but  not  related,  had  a  duck-farm  at  the  Point, 
next  above  ours.  There  was  a  certain  jealousy 
between  the  two  Points,  but  not  sufficient  to  engen 
der  any  dissensions. 

"We  must  have  Miss  Adele  over  to  visit  us,"  I 
said.  "Why  didn't  you  invite  her?  " 

"  I  did,  papa,  but  she  thought  then  that  she 
couldn't  come.  In  fact,  she  was  so  upset  by  the 
inconsiderate  claims  of  her  'men  friends,'  as  she 
calls  them,  that  she  couldn't  do  anything,  —  even 
her  letters  showed  it.  I  '11  read  and  see  what  she 
says." 

I  waited  with  considerable  impatience,  but  our 
curiosity  remained  unsatisfied.  She  simply  wrote 
that  she  was  still  undecided,  but  would  tell  Mar 
garet  when  she  saw  her. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do,  my  dear,"  said  I. 
''  The  Franks  have  several  times  invited  us  to  come 
over  there.  We  '11  go  this  very  afternoon.  I  '11 
either  row  you  over,  or  we  will  get  the  Lawes's 
team." 

"  Would  n't  it  be  better  to  wait  till  Adele  is 
there  ? " 

"  She  probably  is  there.  When  is  her  letter 
dated  ? " 

Margaret  looked  more  carefully  at  the  heading. 


1 12  O.Y  Tin-:  roi.\~  r. 

"  Why  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "of  course  she  must 
have  got  there  this  morning!  let  us  go,  then.  The 
tide  will  be  just  right;  it  turns  about  five  o'clock, 
and  \ve  can  come  back  with  the  ebb." 

"  \Ye  shall  have  moonlight,  too,"  I  added. 

With  the  Hood-tide  it  was  an  easy  pull  across 
the  inner  bay  to  the  Franks'  Point.  The  wind 
blew  freshly  from  the  north-west,  and  there  was 
considerable  sea  on.  Just  after  we  left,  the  light 
house-keeper,  who  had  seen  us  start,  met  Mrs. 
Merrithew  and  told  her,  with  that  line,  judicious 
frankness  characteristic  of  him,  that  the  sail  across 
the  inner  bay  was  dangerous,  as  the  wind  was  likely 
to  breeze  up  fresh  and  swamp  a  small  boat. 

Some  women  would  have  been  worried  to  death 
by  such  an  unhappy  suggestion;  but,  though  Mrs. 
Merrithew  was  alarmed,  she  knew  that  I  was  a 
good  boatman,  and  what  was  better,  she  knew  that 
the  lighthouse-keeper  was  a  pessimist  on  principle. 
So  she  made  up  her  mind  that  it  was  of  no  use  to 
worry. 

We  had  no  difficulty  whatever :  scarcely  shipped 
a  tumbler  of  water,  and  within  an  hour,  by  dint  of 
hard  rowing  and  by  favor  of  the  strong  tide,  we 
reached  the  wharf  at  the  other  Point.  Leaving  the 
boat  in  as  safe  a  position  as  possible,  we  set  out  on 
foot  for  the  duck  farm.  We  had  no  need  to 
inquire  the  way,  for  we  could  hear  the  quacking  of 
the  ducks  in  the  distance,  like  a  beacon  call,  if  such 


OA"    Til]:    POINT.  I  I  3 

a  thing  exists.  It  was  a  long  walk  up  a  steep  hill, 
but  the  view  from  the  top  was  fine.  It  completely 
overlooked  our  modest  domainlet,  but  it  had  the 
disadvantage  of  being  much  farther  from  the  water. 

The  house  in  which  the  Franks  lived  was  small 
but  cosey.  A  wide  piazza,  shaded  by  a  canvas 
awning  and  furnished  with  hammocks  and  easy 
seats,  gave  an  air  of  out-doorsiness  to  the  place. 

The  two  girls  were  delighted  to  se'e  each  other. 
Adele  was  a  vivacious  brunette,  rather  short,  with 
thick,  curly  chestnut  hair  and  snapping  black  eyes, 
—  the  last  person  in  the  world  whom  one  would 
suspect  of  cultivating  platonic  friendships.  She 
was  an  orphan,  and  had  a  small  income,  just  enough 
to  live  on  comfortably.  She  had  the  smallest  hands 
that  ever  were  seen,  but  perfectly  proportioned. 
The  curve  of  her  little  finger  when  she  drank  a  cup 
of  tea  was  bewitching  enough  to  hook  any  suscep 
tible  heart.  I  did  not  wonder  that  her  "  men 
friends "  were  anxious  to  rise  to  a  degree  higher 
than  the  platonic  relationship. 

Knowing  that  I,  as  a  man,  was  a  superfluity  in 
the  counsel  of  the  girls,  and  that  I  should  hear  from 
Margaret  all  that  it  was  right  for  me  to  know, 
I  accepted  Mr.  Frank's  kind  invitation  to  look  over 
the  duckery.  Now,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  had 
reached,  or  almost  reached,  the  sere  and  withered 
leaf ;  I  was  growing  bald,  and  as  gray  as  red-headed 
men  usually  get  to  be  ;  and  though  I  had  seen  ducks 


I  14  O.V    THE    PQIXT. 

swimming  in  ponds,  diving  down  and  wagging  their 
tails,  I  knew  little  more  of  their  nature  and  habits 
than  of  the  ichthyosaurus.  Indeed,  my  whole 
knowledge  might  have  been  summed  up  in  the 
words  of  Virgil,  which  dimly  hovered  in  my 
memory, —  Dido  ct  Trojanits  dux.  So  I  was  not 
averse  to  having  my  sphere  of  useful  knowledge 
enlarged. 

At  a  duckery  the  instinct  of  the  bird  for  swim 
ming  is  studiously  repressed.  The  poor  things 
rapidly  proceed  from  the  egg  to  the  human  stomach 
without  ever  having  once  tasted  the  delight  of 
diving  into  water,  or  of  wetting  their  webbed  feet, 
unless  one,  more  enterprising  than  the  rest,  man 
ages  to  get  between  the  slats  that  protect  their 
drinking  troughs.  But  they  are  encouraged  to  eat, 
and  to  eat  fast;  by  this  fostering  care  they  grow  so 
phenomenally  that  they  outstrip  their  feathers,  and 
many  of  them  look  as  if  they  had  become  prema 
turely  bald. 

We  went  first  into  the  cellar  of  the  house,  and 
here  a  do/en  or  more  incubators,  with  self-regulat 
ing  lamps,  were  at  work.  The  eggs  were  in 
various  stages  of  forwardness.  In  one  or  two  of 
the  mechanical  foster-mothers  the  side  of  the  shell 
showed  the  little  pit,  which  indicates  that  the 
prisoner  is  about  to  break  his  bonds.  Listening  at 
the  door,  I  could  hear  a  miniature  peeping  sound ; 
it  was  the  voice  of  the  duck,  perhaps  uttering 
almost  mute  prayers  for  deliverance. 


ON  THE  roixT.  1 1 5 

The  hatched  cluck  is  a  queer  little  fluffy  ball  of 
yellow  down.  We  followed  his  progress  from  cellar 
to  steam-heated  propagation  house,  until  he  is 
turned  out  to  shift  for  himself  in  the  cold,  outside 
world  of  the  yard.  As  he  goes,  his  voice  increases 
from  the  feeble  piping  peep  to  the  full-fledged 
quack. 

There  were  thousands  of  ducks  of  every  age  and 
size,  and  the  din  of  their  quacking  when  they  raised 
their  voices  would  have  suggested  a  new  image  to 
Dante,  had  he  lived  to  see  such  a  sight.  I  saw 
them  fed,  and  admired  their  zeal  in  a  noble  cause. 
How  they  trampled  on  one  another!  How  thank 
fully  they  lifted  their  shovel-like  beaks  to  heaven 
and  then  waddled  off  to  the  trough,  to  swallow  that 
element  which  Fate  prevented  them  from  showing 
their  inborn  grace  upon  ! 

Everything  was  scrupulously  neat.  The  yards 
were  kept  freshly  sanded,  and  the  ducks  themselves 
seemed  to  realize  that  they  had  a  reputation  to 
sustain  ;  for  did  they  not  bring  the  highest  prices 
current  in  the  city  market,  and  were  they  not  re- 
imported  and  sold  in  the  very  village  in  which  they 
originated  ? 

\Ye  saw  the  slaughter-chamber  and  the  pen  where 
the  next  victims  were  waiting  their  fate.  A  con 
sciousness  of  it  seemed  to  prevail  among  them  ;  the 
voices  of  these  were  the  most  raucous,  and  in  their 
efforts  to  escape  they  trampled  each  other  down, 


I  1 6  ON    THE   POINT. 

although  they  must  have  known  that  they  would  be 
executed  in  accordance  with  the  methods  most 
approved  by  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Animals. 

Greatly  edified,  I  returned  to  the  house  with  my 
kind  host,  who  evidently  took  the  most  justifiable 
pride  in  his  army  of  ducks.  Alexander,  Caesar, 
Napoleon,  slaughtered  men  for  less  praiseworthy 
objects.  My  friend  Frank  distinctly  added  to  the 
sum  of  human  enjoyment,  and  it  was  evident  that 
he  found  a  good  profit  in  it.  He  paid  his  men  well, 
and  set  them  an  example  by  taking  hold  of  the 
work  with  righteous  energy  whenever  he  happened 
to  be  at  the  duckery. 

"  Adele,"  said  I,  using  the  privilege  of  age  and 
circumstance,  "  you  are  enjoying  a  remarkable 
opportunity.  It  is  not  every  young  lady  who  can 
live  under  the  inspiring  influences  of  such  a  colony 
as  this." 

Now  it  is  evident  that  this  offered  an  exceptional 
field  for  flippant  treatment,  and  I  had  in  mind, 
after  ringing  a  few  changes  on  '•  quacks  "  and  the 
Latin  pronunciation  of  "c///.v."  and  the  genitive 
thereof,  to  end  off  with  a  favorite  anecdote  of  mine 
regarding  Mr.  McGinnis,  a  neighbor,  who  lived  in 
the  valley  at  the  foot  of  our  hill,  and  went  to  the 
Board  of  Health  to  complain  that  "the  watther  got 
into  his  cellar,  and  was  dhrounding  his  chickins  and 
hins ;  "  and,  when  sent  to  the  mavor,  returned  to  the 


ON    THE    POfNT.  I  I/ 

Board  of  Health  office  and  reported  that  *•  His 
Honor  the  Mayor,  had  asked  him  why,  if  the 
watther  was  dhrounding  his  chickins  and  hins,  he 
did  not  kape  dooks  ?  " 

1  think  very  likely  I  had  told  that  story  to  the 
Franks  before ;  certainly  Adele  had  heard  it,  and 
this  shows  the  advantage  of  having  a  quick-witted 
daughter,  for  before  I  had  embarked  upon  it, 
Margaret  managed  quietly  to  switch  me  off  on 
another  tack. 

Adele  agreed  to  make  us  a  visit  of  a  few  days, 
and  it  was  arranged  that  we  should  bring  her  back. 
That  would  give  the  desired  opportunity  for  the 
rest  of  my  family  to  inspect  the  duckery. 

The  wind  had  fallen  and  the  moon  had  risen 
when  we  started  back,  after  tea.  We  floated  down 
on  the  tide.  There  was  a  picnic  on  the  beach.  A 
bonfire  had  been  kindled,  and  the  merrymakers 
were  clustered  around  the  blaze,  singing  college 
songs  and  the  sentimental  ballads  usual  on  such 
occasions.  The  air  was  sweet  with  fir-balsam.  The 
moon  made  a  wide  golden  path  across  the  bay,  and 
the  ripples  of  the  tide  flashed  diamonds.  Occa 
sionally  a  falling  star  left  its  trail,  as  of  a  damp 
match  that  had  failed  to  kindle.  The  riding-lights 
of  the  anchored  schooners  were  reflected  in  the 
water,  and  the  electric  lamps  of  the  lighthouse- 
tender,  which  had  come  up  and  dropped  anchor 
in  mid-stream,  made  a  gala  spot  on  the  peaceful 
surface. 


1  I  8  O.Y    Till-:    rOINT. 

A  few  days  later  the  Franks  brought  Adele  for 
her  promised  visit.  I  was  tempted  to  poke  a  little 
fun  at  Adele  on  the  subject  of  her  plethora  of 
lovers,  but  the  knowledge  that  Margaret  would  dis 
approve  restrained  me.  I  would  not  have  believed 
that  I,  a  father  of  five  children,  could  ever  stand  in 
such  wholesome  awe  of  a  girl  in  her  teens  !  I  never 
stood  in  any  such  awe  of  Katharine. 

The  two  girls  had  a  delightful  time  together. 
They  played  duets;  for  Adele  had  fortunately 
brought  a  lot  of  music.  Adele  sang  very  acceptably. 
In  the  evening  we  had  a  rubber  of  whist.  In  the 
morning  the  two  girls  helped  Mrs.  Merrithew  in  vari 
ous  household  duties,  and  then  amused  themselves  at 
their  own  sweet  will,  —  either  with  music,  or  reading 
on  the  pia/za.  or  strolling  in  the  fields,  or  rowing  in 
the  boat. 

Some  days  I  took  the  boys  and  went  after  fish  al 
a  weir  about  two  miles  down  the  bay.  where  the 
dinners  were  larger  and  more  vivacious  than  any 
where  else.  Once  or  twice  I  went  to  a  pond  a  few 
miles  back,  where  there  was  an  abundance  of 
delicious  trout.  Hut  I  did  n't  get  any  !  After  all. 
most  of  the  pleasure  in  fishing  consists  in  the 
attempt.  This  was  recognized  by  the  old  lilue 
Laws,  which  forbade  not  the  taking  of  fish,  but  the 
attempt  to  take  fish,  on  Sunday  ! 

We  found  one  farmer  who  supplied  us  with 
chickens  for  broilers.  Instead  of  starving,  as  the 


ON   THE   POINT.  119 

lighthouse-keeper  had  prognosticated,  we  found  our 
selves  in  clover.  Farmer  Bigg  and  Farmer  Ormsby 
were  eager  rivals  in  their  anxiety  to  purvey  for  us. 
Once,  when  Mrs.  Merrithew  bought  a  "  mess  o' 
peas "  of  the  latter,  Fanner  Bigg  felt  called  upon 
to  protest : 

"  No,"  says  he,  '*  I  don't  want  to  force  none  of 
my  stuff  on  nobody,  but  I  should  like  to  know  who 
you  be  a-tradin'  with.  Now  Ormsby's  truck  hain't 
half  so  fresh  as  mine  is.  f  look  out  to  git  the 
best  seeds  's  to  be  lied.  Hut  then,  if  you  be  so 
tumble  p'rticklar,  probably  nobody  could  n't  satisfy 
you." 

"Oh,"  I  replied,  ''sometimes  we  get  of  you,  and 
sometimes  of  Ormsby.  I  thought  you  asked  a  little 
more  than  he  did  for  the  peas,  but  then  you  didn't 
bring  yours  around  first." 

I  patched  up  a  peace  by  a  few  judicious  compli 
ments,  and  Farmer  Bigg  brought  to  us  his  earliest 
sweet  corn. 

It  was  a  great  lesson  to  visit  the  Chamfrays. 
They  lived  in  an  old  house  that  belonged  to  the 
land  company.  Chamfray  had  his  lobster-pots  and 
weirs  to  look  after.  He  also  drove  his  steer  in  the 
wagon.  It  wasn't  so  swift  as  a  horse,  but  it  "got 
there."  He  had  a  small  garden,  and  kept  one  cow 
and  a  few  hens.  He  was  a  shiftless,  good-natured 
fellow,  whom  you  couldn't  help  liking. 

Mrs.    Chamfray    had    a    pleasant,    clear-cut    face, 


I  2O  O.Y    THE    rO/A'7: 

with  a  rather  handsome  nose,  a  genuine  smile  and 
bright  blue  eyes. 

"  Don't  you  find  it  rather  lonely  here  in  winter?" 
I  asked. 

"  ( )h,  yes ;  but  then  \ve  always  have  something  to 
do.  We  have  to  eat,  and  the  children  go  to  school." 

"  How  do  they  get  through  the  snow  ?  " 

"  Well,  the  drifts  are  rather  hard  for  them  some 
times,  but  they  enjoy  it,  and  it  don't  do  them  no 
hurt." 

We  were  standing  outside  the  door. 

'•Come  in,  won't  you?"  she  asked,  and  led  the 
way  into  the  room  that  must  have  been  meant  for 
her  parlor.  It  was  scrupulously  neat,  but  bare. 
There  was  not  even  a  rag  carpet  on  the  Moor  or  a 
picture  on  the  wall.  Only  a  small,  well-worn  IJible 
represented  the  library.  One  pane  of  glass  was 
broken.  She  perhaps  saw  that  we  noticed  it. 

"  Take  a  seat  and  set  down,"  she  said,  hospitably. 
"We  haven't  much  furniture,  that's  a  fact,  and 
there  's  a  pane  out.  He  's  ben  a-meanin'  to  set  it, 
but  he  don't  git  much  time  in  summer,  what  with  his 
lobsterin'  and  tendin'  the  live-stock  and  lookin' 
after  the  garden." 

She  at  this  instant  suddenly  seized  her  broom 
from  the  corner  and  stepped  into  the  next  room, 
which  served  as  kitchen  and  sitting-room,  and  began 
vigorously  to  drive  out  a  number  of  hens  which  had 
been  prompted  by  curiosity  or  hunger  to  investigate 


o.v  TIII-:  roix'j\  \  2  \ 

the  penetralia.  ''  Shu  !  shu  !  scat !  out  u'  here  !  "  she 
exclaimed,  and  the  hens,  with  loud  cackling,  scut 
tled  out  of  reach  of  her  besom. 

"  Excuse  me,"  she  resumed,  "  but  these  biddies  do 
drive  me  most  deestracted.  Seems  to  me  1  never 
see  'em  so  free  with  the  house.  But  then  we 
could  n't  git  along  without  'em.  They  give  us  lots 
of  aigs." 

Margaret  remarked  that  she  supposed  it  did  not 
cost  them  very  much  to  live  there. 

"  No,  indeed,"  replied  Mrs.  Chamfray  ;  "  I  don't 
believe  you  could  guess  how  little  it  costs  us  to 
live." 

Neither  of  us  attempted  to  solve  the  conundrum, 
and  the  woman  went  on  : 

"  Well,  it  don't  cost  us  more  'n  three  hundred 
dollars,  at  the  most.  I  suppose  that  seems  very 
small  to  you." 

"  Yes,  it  does ;  but  then  a  very  dear  friend  of  ours 
remarked  the  other  day  that  she  considered  five 
thousand  a  year  abject  poverty.  So  you  see  differ 
ent  people  have  different  standards.  I  should  not 
object  to  my  friend's  five-thousand- a-year  poverty." 

"  We  have  plenty  to  eat,"  pursued  Mrs.  Cham- 
fray,  "  and  we  are  not  in  debt ;  that 's  a  comfort." 

1  thought  of  that  breast-pocket  full  of  unpaid 
bills,  and  I  confess  I  almost  envied  the  narrow 
horizon  of  these  people.  The  old  verse  came  into 
my  mind  and  I  quoted  it,  — 


122  O.Y    THE 

"Looking  </<>7c:'//  oil  I  ires    bcloiv   tli  cm,  men    of  little   store    are 

great. 

Looking  up  to  higher  Jortnites,  liat'd  to  eaeh   man  seems  liis 
fate." 

Mrs.  Chamfray  went  on  : 

"  Sometimes  I  feel  sort  o'  discontented  with  my 
lot.  It  seems  rather  hard  and  bare.  Father  was  a 
sea-captain.  He  lived  in  that  big  two-story  house 
just  below.  While  he  was  alive  mother  never  knew 
what  it  was  to  want.  He  used  to  go  on  long 
voyages." 

"  Did  you  ever  go  with  him  ?"   asked  Adele. 

'•No;  he  always  promised  to  take  me  when  I 
should  grow  up.  Mother  went  with  him  once  or 
twice.  He  used  to  be  gone  two  or  three  years  at  a 
time.  He  promised  just  before  he  went  the  las' 
time  to  take  us  to  live  in  the  city.  Then  I  should 
have  went  to  school.  Hut  on  the  voyage  home  from 
Liverpool  he  was  washed  overboard.  He  and 
the  mate  was  washed  overboard  by  a  big  wave ; 
the  mate  was  swept  back,  but  father  was  never  seen 
again.  \Ye  was  expecting  of  him  home,  and  the 
news  come  that  he  was  lost.  Mother  had  money 
enough  for  awhile ;  but  she  did  n't  know  how  to 
save,  bein'  as  she  was  always  used  to  spendin' 
freely,  and  there  was  n't  any  further  supply,  so  we 
had  a  pooty  hard  time  of  it,  I  tell  you." 

A  sad  look  came  into  the  woman's  eyes,  but  it 
was  quickly  chased  away  by  her  habitual  cheerful' 
ness. 


av  THE  roix'i.  123 

"  I  s'pose  they  's  a  good  many  a  good  deal  poorer 
than  we  be,  and  \ve  ought  to  be  thankful  for  the 
blessin's  \ve  have." 

The  spectacle  of  that  hard-working,  cheerful 
woman  finding  no  fault  with  the  bareness  of  her 
lot  was  better  than  a  sermon,  and  whenever  my  wife 
and  daughter  went  to  see  her  they  always  found 
themselves  more  contented  with  our  small  belong 
ings  than  ever  before.  It  was  a  lesson  to  Adele 
which  she  never  forgot. 

A  day  or  two  later  we  had  to  face  the  necessity 
of  parting  with  Adele.  We  had  all  become  very 
fond  of  her.  She  was  one  of  those  rare  individuals 
who  instantly  make  a  place  for  themselves  in  a 
household,  accommodating  their  own  idiosyncra- 
cies  to  those  of  their  friends.  I  didn't  wonder  her 
young  men  quickly  found  the  wings  of  their  friend 
ship  expanding  to  take  them  into  loftier  regions.  We 
did  not  want  to  let  her  go;  but  she  had  promised 
the  Franks  to  return  to  them,  and  we  could  not  be 
selfish. 

Our  kind  neighbor,  Mr.  Kpps,  had  several  times 
assured  us  that  he  would  like  nothing  better  than 
to  "  loan  "  us  his  horse  and  buckboard.  "  The  horse 
is  rather  old,"  he  remarked,  "  and  he  's  slow,  but  he 
don't  get  half  enough  exercise,  and  it  would  be  a 
blessing  to  him  and  a  kindness  to  us  if  you  would 
some  time  use  him  for  us." 

That    was    a    very   graceful    way   of    stating    the 


124  (>-v  'I'm--  foix'i: 

matter,  and  so  I  went  to  Mr.  Fpps  and  told  him 
\ve  had  got  to  carry  our  friend.  Miss  Adele,  back 
to  the  Franks;  would  he  like  us  to  use  his  horse 
that  afternoon  ? 

It  proved  to  be  perfectly  convenient,  and  so  I 
arranged  that  the  whole  tribe  should  go.  Selma, 
the  cook,  found  that  the  Franks'  cook  was  also 
a  Swede;  she  therefore  went  over  on  the  small 
steamboat  that  plied  between  several  of  the  little 
places  along  the  river  and  upper  bay,  and  \ve 
locked  up  the  house.  The  buckboard  proved 
to  be  quite  easy  —  that  is  for  us;  for  the  horse 
it  might  have  been  questioned.  15ut  the  boys 
and  I  proved  our  generosity  of  nature  by  walking 
up  the  hills.  As  it  was  up-hill  most  of  the  way, 
we  had  a  fine  walk. 

This  time  all  the  family  inspected  the  duckery, 
and  I  was  not  sorry  to  renew  my  acquaintance 
with  that  noble  army  of  martyrs. 

It  was  suggested  that  I  should  unharness  the 
horse  and  put  him  in  the  stable.  Xow  I  was 
not  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  processes  of 
harnessing.  I  could  manage  well  enough  to  get 
a  harness  off,  though  I  was  apt  to  unbuckle  the 
wrong  places.  I  had  no  fear  of  making  any  com 
promising  slip  in  the  purely  negative  work  of  un 
harnessing;  but  I  felt  a  certain  inborn  fear  that 
the  man  who  had  charge  of  the  stable,  and  had 
gone  to  the  Springs  on  some  errand,  might  not 


OX    THE    POINT.  125 

get  back  in  time  to  help  me  out  in  the  more 
serious  and  constructive  operation  of  putting  the 
harness  on  again.  I  therefore  assumed  a  jaunty 
air,  and  remarked  that  I  thought  that  I  would 
simply  tie  him  to  the  post;  he  would  stand  all 
right. 

Now  that  horse  had  a  bad  habit  of  which  I  knew 
nothing,  —  of  pulling  viciously  at  any  rope,  chain  or 
strap  whereby  he  was  tied.  He  was  used  to  the 
freedom  of  a  box-stall.  So,  while  we  were  passing 
through  the  domain  of  the  ducks,  he  was  "  yank 
ing  away "  at  the  chain.  Suddenly  we  heard  a 
crash  that  sounded  like  the  report  of  a  pistol. 
It  was  the  post,  which  he  had  broken  short  off. 
Fortunately,  some  one  happened  to  be  passing  and 
caught  the  animal  before  he  did  further  damage. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  unharness 
and  stable  the  horse.  I  did  so,  but  I  smelt  trouble 
afar.  I  still  hoped  that  the  man  would  return 
before  we  should  start  for  home ;  but  I  was 
doomed  to  disappointment. 

Incredible  as  it  may  seem,  I  had  reached  my 
advanced  age  without  ever  having  had  occasion 
to  harness  a  horse.  Born  and  brought  up  in 
the  city,  the  son  of  pious,  God-fearing,  but  poor 
parents,  who  never  attained  the  dignity  of  a  nag, 
and  carefully  kept  from  haunting  stables,  I  knew 
as  little  about  animals  as  a  native  of  a  Polynesian 
atoll.  Boys  vary  much  in  receptivity.  It  wasn't 


126  O.V    Till:    POIXT. 

in  me  to  care  for  horses.  My  cousin  Billy  Smith, 
on  the  other  hand,  could  not  be  kept  away  from 
them.  He  was  always  crazy  to  "  play  horse," 
and  I  remember  he  was  always  driving  me  with 
improvised  reins.  I  never  drove  him.  I  did  n't 
care  to  go  down  the  street  on  the  butcher's  cart, 
or  hold  the  grocer's  team  while  the  stupid  boy 
delivered  jugs  of  molasses.  But  Billy  did.  and  it 
wasn't  long  before  he  knew  as  much  about 
driving,  harnessing  and  caring  for  horses  as  a 
coachman-.  Indeed,  he  became  a  veterinary  doctor 
when,  to  have  that  fine  profession,  was  to  assure 
one's  self  a  fortune.  They  are  more  common  now. 

I  learned  to  drive,  of  course;  that  is  to  say, 
I  could  steer  the  creatures  on  a  straight  course. 
but  beating  to  windward  with  them  or  tacking 
in  a  narrow  channel,  or  managing  them  in  a 
Haw  where  one  needed  to  reef,  would  speedily 
use  up  all  my  "equine  seamanship,"  if  I  may 
so  continue  my  metaphor.  I  could  manage  a 
sail  far  better,  or  at  least  feel  far  more  at  home 
in  a  catboat.  And,  by  some  strange  fatality,  nearly 
fifty  summers  had  passed  and  I  had  never  really 
needed  to  harness.  It  had  always  been  done 
for  me.  Each  year  I  would  vow  to  master  the 
intricacy  of  the  art,  and  bribe  some  farmer  to 
give  me  a  few  practical  lessons;  but  when  the 
time  came  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to 
brave  the  ignominy  of  confessing  my  ignorance. 


av  THE  roi\T.  127 

So  my  whole  knowledge  consisted  in  the  fruit 
of  observation. 

When  the  strain  comes  the  Hawed  rod  breaks 
at  the  test;  the  weak  cable  parts.  My  test  had 
come. 

The  Franks  were  desirous  that  we  should  stay 
to  tea  and  drive  home  by  moonlight.  But  Mrs. 
Merrithew  is  a  great  stickler  for  having  her 
babies  put  to  bed  at  regular  hours,  and  so  we 
declined.  I  was  perhaps  a  little  too  urgent  that 
this  rule  of  the  Medes  and  Persians  should  be 
for  once  transgressed,  but  Katharine  withered  me. 

"  Magnus,  my  love,  there  is  nothing  more  im 
portant  than  regularity  with  children ;  if  you  are 
willing  to  run  the  risk  of  baby  getting  cold  and 
having  to  send  for  the  doctor,  I  am  not." 

Accordingly,  I  had  to  sally  out  to  the  barn  and 
harness  that  miserable  old  steed.  I  wished  he 
had  never  been  born.  It  was  not  very  warm, 
but  the  sweat  stood  on  mv  brow.  I  looked  long- 

•*  c"> 

ingly  clown  the  road,  hoping  that  I  might  see 
coining  round  the  bend  some  saving  hand.  But 
no,  I  was  left  to  my  own  resources.  The  men 
were  all  busy  giving  the  clucks  their  supper. 
Harold  and  Magnus,  Jr.,  accompanied  me.  I 
had  seen  men  harness  so  many  times  that  I 
thought,  "  Perhaps,  after  all,  I  shall  not  make 
any  serious  blunder." 

It    is    a   difficult    matter  for  me   to  describe  my 


128  o.v  THE  roixr. 

efforts,  for  I  am  not  sure  of  the  names  of  the  vari 
ous  pieces,  whereas,  if  it  were  a  boat,  I  could  give 
the  whole  scene  with  technical  accuracy. 

I  doubled  the  horse's  tail  up,  and  got  the  crupper 
on.  I  suspect  at  this  point  the  beast  began  to 
scent  the  novice,  but  I  escaped  being  kicked.  My 
heart  was  in  my  mouth.  I  managed  to  spread  the 
harness  pretty  scientifically  along  his  back.  I 
thought  I  was  going  to  do  better  than  I  had  feared. 
Really  it  was  the  crupper  that  I  most  apprehended ; 
and  when  I  saw  that  powerful  muscle  of  the  horse's 
fly-flapper  safely  caged,  I  gave  a  mighty  sigh  of 
relief.  But  when  I  attacked  the  head  —  even  now 
I  can't  for  the  life  tell  whether  I  began  at  the 
wrong  end  or  not  —  there  was  trouble.  The  horse- 
seemed  to  resent  having  his  ears  touched.  He 
tossed  his  head  into  the  air  and  stamped.  I  sup 
pose  I  pinched  his  ears.  He  tried  to  nab  me  with 
his  big  teeth.  I  escaped  being  devoured,  but  how 
I  ever  got  the  bit  into  his  mouth  is  a  marvel.  I  did. 

Then  my  son  Harold  felt  moved  to  interfere.  I 
certainly  showed  considerable  sang  froiJ,  however 
anxious  I  may  have  felt.  I  must  have  gone  at  it 
with  a  look  of  conscious  knowledge.  Hut  it  was  a 
mask.  The  boys  were  watching  me  with  what  I 
tried  to  hope  was  pride.  I  know  I  said,  while  I 
seemed  to  be  merely  pausing,  but  was  really  study 
ing  my  positions  like  a  skilful  general,— 

"  Boys,  it   is   a  great  thing  to  know   all  about   a 


O.Y    TffE    POIXT.  129 

horse.     You  must   keep  your  eyes  open,  and  learn 
to  harness." 

1  had  just  succeeded  in  forcing  the  bit  between 
the  horse's  teeth.  The  horse  was  getting  excited, 
I  could  feel  his  flesh  quiver.  White  flecks  of  foam 
were  flying  from  his  mouth.  Suddenly,  Alfred, 
whether  inspired  by  mischief  or  some  occult  power 
of  evil,  1  can  not  say,  cried  out,  — 

"  ( )h,  papa,  you  Ye  got  the  bit  on  the  wrong  side 
of  the  horse's  tongue  !  " 

I  looked  at  the  institution  critically.  Without 
the  shadow  of  a  doubt  the  bit  annoyed  the  animal, 
else  why  should  he  champ  so  viciously  ?  Why 
should  those  flecks  of  white  foam  manifest  them 
selves  ?  It  appealed  to  my  reason ;  but  how  in 
the  world  to  get  the  bit  into  its  right  place !  I  tried 
to  take  it  out,  but  could  not  dislodge  it  from  "  the 
white  barrier  of  those  teeth,"  to  quote  the  poetic 
description  of  Homer,  lover  of  horses.  By  the  way, 
it  is  rather  odd  that  the  Greek  word  for  a  judge  of 
horses  should  be  a  hippocrite  ! 

I  was  bound  that  I  would  do  it,  however,  and  my 
evil  genius  suggested  unbuckling  the  head-stall  — 
that's  the  word,  isn't  it?  —  that  part  of  the  harness 
that  goes  over  the  top  of  the  horse's  head.  My 
manipulations  were  stimulating  rebellion,  mutiny, 
riot  in  that  horse's  breast.  I  got  the  thing  un 
buckled  ;  but,  though  I  succeeded  in  removing  and 
replacing  the  bit,  to  my  chagrin  it  was  quickly  in 


I3O  O.Y   THE   POINT. 

the  same  position  as  before;  but  I  could  not  re- 
buckle  the  gear. 

Just  at  this  juncture,  while  I  was  shouting  to 
Harold,  with  a  certain  sourness  of  temper  manifest 
in  my  tones,  — 

"Not  another  word!  Don't  you  speak  another 
word  till  I  get  this  horse  harnessed !  Can't  you  see 
that  your  voices  irritate  him?"  —I  am  afraid  there 
was  a  little  parental  hypocrisy  in  that !  —  my  fair 
daughter  Margaret,  wondering  at  the  long  absence 
of  her  sire,  came  out  to  investigate.  Now,  Marga 
ret  had  more  knowledge  of  a  horse  in  her  little 
finger  than  I  had  in  my  whole  bulk,  and  I  admired 
the  cleverness  with  which  she  came  to  my  aid,  —  not 
in  the  least  shaming  me  in  the  presence  of  her  two 
small  brothers,  but  taking  my  muddle  as  a  mere 
accident,  and  quickly  bringing  order  out  of  chaos.  I 
was  ashamed  of  myself,  but  I  was  proud  of  Margaret. 

The  horse  was  in  such  a  nervous  state  that  we 
could  hardly  keep  him  still  long  enough  to  embark 
the  tribe.  Then,  when  he  was  allowed  to  spring  his 
luff,  he  gave  a  mighty  dash  through  the  gate,  nar 
rowly  escaping  its  complete  demolition,  flew  down 
the  hill,  as  though  he  were  a  two-year-old  colt,  and 
alarmed  my  wife  so  that  she  grew  quite  pale.  In 
my  position  as  charioteer  I  affected  the  greatest 
aplomb,  -—  I  think  that  is  the  correct  term,  —  and  by 
dint  of  sawing  on  the  reins,  —  lines,  I  believe,  some 
people  call  them, —  soon  brought  the  gallop  down  to 


ON  7V//:  roixr.  131 

a  vivacious  trot,  which,  at  the  foot  of  a  small  rise, 
suddenly  became  a  slow  walk,  and  so  lasted  till  we 
got  within  a  yard  or  two  of  our  cottage.  At  this 
point  his  stable  was  at  hand,  and  I  again  found  it 
hard  to  restrain  his  ardor. 

On  the  whole,  our  trip  was  a  success.  The  boys 
never  suspected  how  realistically  their  father  had 
played  a  comic  part;  and  Margaret,  sweet  girl!  if 
she  knew,  never  ''  let  on."  That  I  call  genuine 
loyalty.  I  returned  the  horse  to  Mr.  Kpps,  and  re 
marked  that  the  animal  had  been  somewhat  both 
ered  by  the  Hies,  and  had  pulled  the  post  down. 

"Oh,  that's  an  old  trick  of  his,"  he  replied,  con 
solingly.  "  He 's  a  good-natured  old  fellow,  and 
needs  to  be  exercised  more.  .  ,  .  Come  and  get 
him  again." 

Whereupon  he  began  to  feed  him  with  choice 
ends  of  potatoes.  That  seemed  to  the  horse  a  re 
ward  of  merit.  The  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  I 
admire  a  horse.  I  have  never  owned  one,  and 
maybe  I  never  shall,  until  I  get  to  the  world  where 
horses  breathe  fire,  and  are  furnished  with  wings. 
Hut,  certainly,  the  docility  of  those  great  creatures, 
and  their  intelligence,  fill  me  with  awe  and  admira 
tion.  Lucky  for  us  men  that  bodily  size  does  not 
condition  brains,  or  proportion  power;  else  what 
tyrants  would  not  elephants,  oxen  and  horses  be! 
and  what  wretched  slaves  we,  to  do  the  bidding  of 
the  houyhnhnms  ! 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IN    WHICH    FATK    SKKMS    ABOUT     TO     IJECJIN     SPINNING 

A  wi-:n. 

NATURE  has  two  great  ways  of  accomplishing 
her  work.  Maybe  she  has  more  than  two, 
but  of  two  I  am  sure.  One  is  cyclic;  the  other 
irregular.  The  cyclic  covers  vast  realms;  the 
intermittent  is  almost  universal.  Thus  the  dis 
tances  of  the  planets  are  proportionally  the  same  as 
the  arrangement  of  limbs  on  certain  trees  and  the 
twigs  on  the  branches  of  the  same.  There  are 
recurrent  fevers  and  earthquakes.  We  say  history 
repeats  itself ;  buf,  on  the  other  hand,  we  embody 
132 


av  THE  POIXT.  133 

the  contrary  idea  in  the  proverbs,  "  it  never  rains 
but  it  pours ;  "  "  to  him  that  hath  shall  be  given." 

If  you  see  one  white  horse,  you  are  likely  to  see 
two  or  more  white  horses  in  succession.  On  the 
sidewalk,  people  tend  to  meet  in  clusters  in  the 
narrowest  part. 

Fate  seems  to  copy  her  great  mother  Nature  in 
this  particular.  She  sends  a  season  of  bad  luck  and 
then  —  not  to  the  same  person,  but  to  another,  who 
does  not  deserve  it  half  so  much  (we  think)  —  a 
season  of  good  luck  that  has  no  end.  Fate's 
balances  seem  unarithmetical.  It  is  possible  that 
happiness  and  misery  are  equally  disposed  in  this 
world,  but  they  are  not  equally  shared. 

These  remarks,  which  I  hope  are  sufficiently 
profound  and  Fmersonian,  are  meant  to  prepare 
the  reader  against  surprise  in  case  the  sudden 
interruption  of  this  peaceful  chronicle  appear  too 
abrupt. 

The  Point  was  sometimes  chosen  for  camping 
by  parties  coming  up  or  down  the  bay.  Near  the 
Spring-house,  on  the  bluff,  there  was  a  nook 
sheltered  by  spruce  trees.  Young  men  sometimes 
came  down  the  river  on  a  tug-boat  and  paddled 
across  in  their  canoes,  to  find  here  at  hand  every 
thing  that  campers  need,  —  shelter,  pure  water  and 
plenty  of  wood.  We  often  saw  their  fires  gleaming 
red  in  the  evening.  The  boys  generally  scraped 
acquaintance  with  them,  but  we  ourselves  saw  little 


134  OA'  7yyy-  MI  XT. 

of  them.  We  modified  the  proverb,  "Distance 
lends  enchantment  to  the  many." 

The  evening  of  our  visit  to  the  duckery  we  had 
a  terrific  thunder-shower.  The  western  sky  was 
serrated  with  the  Alps  of  cloudland,  even  while 
we  were  returning,  and  Magnus,  Jr.,  who  was  always 
searching  the  skies  for  signs  of  showers,  and  often 
saw  a  thunder-cap  in  a  cloud  not  bigger  than  a 
man's  hand,  insisted  that  he  heard  the  mutterings 
of  a  coming  storm. 

The  sun  sank  down  behind  the  shifting  peaks, 
kindling  them  with  gorgeous  fires.  A  wan  light, 
weird  and  sinister,  shot  across  the  fields.  The 
distant  sails  gleamed  for  a  moment,  ruddy  in  the 
vanishing  rays. 

"My  head  aches;  that's  a  sign  we  are  going  to 
have  a  shower,"  said  Mrs.  Merrithew. 

"No  doubt  about  it,"  said  I,  for  by  this  time  the 
clouds  had  risen  toward  the  xenith,  and  the  mutter 
ing  thunder  was  beginning  to  resolve  itself  into 
definite  reports.  "  I'm  sorry  for  those  fellows  who 
are  camping  out  beyond  the  Spring-house.  They  '11 
get  well  soaked,  I  reckon." 

"  Who  do  you  suppose  they  are  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Merrithew. 

"How  should  1  know?  They  have  only  just 
pitched  their  tent  this  afternoon,  while  we  were 
visiting  the  ducks." 

"Poor    fellows!"  exclaimed    my    wife,    who    was 


ON    THE    POINT.  135 

always  thinking  about  others,  "  I  hope  their  tent 
won't  get  blown  clown  or  struck  by  lightning." 

"Oh,  mamma,  papa!"  cried  Magnus,  Jr.,  run 
ning  in  at  this  moment,  in  a  state  of  great  excite 
ment,  "  it's  lightning  most  terrible  !  Can't  we  sit 
up  and  see  it  ?  " 

It  had  grown  dark  suddenly  and  ominously.  It 
was  not  quite  time  for  the  moon  to  rise.  But  the 
lightning  was  now  Hashing  incessantly.  Already 
the  rain  was  beginning  to  fall  in  big  fiat  drops  on 
the  piazza  roof.  It  sounded  as  if  it  were  hail 
ing.  Natalie  had  n't  yet  gone  to  sleep,  and  the 
fat  Cassanda,  who  herself  was  trembling  like  an 
aspen,  was  trying  to  pacify  her. 

There  is  still  another  proverb  that,  unlike  the 
average  run  of  popular  wisdom,  does  not  embody 
a  truth.  Lightning  is  extremely  apt  to  strike  twice 
in  the  same  spot.  I  well  recall  riding  in  a  train 
once  with  President  Hill,  of  Harvard.  u  I  remem 
ber,"  said  he,  ''  lying  in  bed  once,  and  looking  out 
of  the  window  as  a  thunder-shower  was  in  progress, 
and  I  saw  the  lightning  strike  a  barn.  It  set  it  on 
fire,  and  while  the  men  were  trying  to  put  it  out 
the  lightning  struck  it  a  second  time,  and  before 
they  got  through  it  struck  it  still  a  third  time." 

Now,  I  was  not  afraid,  for  I  knew  that  the 
cottage  had  stood  several  years,  and  it  had  never 
yet  been  shot  at  by  the  fiery  bolts  of  Jove.  I  Jut 
there  was  a  tall  tree  not  very  far  away,  and  I  had 


136  av  THE  roixr. 

noticed  that  it  bore  marks  of  fire.  I  told  the  boys 
one  day  that  I  thought  the  tree  had  been  blasted 
by  lightning. 

1  went  to  the  window  and  peered  out.  The  rain 
was  falling  in  sheets,  mingled  with  hail.  The  wind 
blew  like  a  hurricane  and  the  flashes  were  blindhv, 

O7 

the  crashes  were  deafening.  Suddenly  there  came 
a  sort  of  pause,  as  though  the  storm  was  holding 
its  breath.  Then  there  was  a  keen,  red,  punctur 
ing  jet  of  fire,  not  followed  but  accompanied  by  a 
sharp,  snapping  clap,  so  close  to  us  that  we  all 
were  startled.  I  instinctively  sprang  back  from  the 
window.  Mrs.  Merrithew  covered  her  face  with 
her  hands.  Margaret  had  gone  upstairs  to  stay 
with  little  Natalie.  The  boys  were  a  little  awed  by 
the  apparent  peril,  but  they  soon  recovered  their 
spirits  and  enjoyed  it,  as  if  it  were  a  sort  of 
theatrical  display  for  their  special  benefit. 

The  rain  did  not  last  long,  and  the  shower  passed 
almost  as  rapidly  as  it  came.  Hut  the  play  of  the 
lightning  continued  for  some  time.  Kvery  time  it 
lightened  we  could  see  a  schooner  or  two  at  anchor 
opposite  the  house.  One  had  evidently  come  up  the 
bay  before  the  wind.  She  had  got  in  rather  close  to 
the  shore,  and  had  dropped  anchor  off  the  weir, 
not  a  cable's  length  away.  The  gleam  of  the 
lightning  on  her  big  sails  was  like  a  phantasma 
goria.  One  instant  she  would  stand  out  on  the 
retina,  and  the  next  she  would  fade  from  sight  as 


ON   THE   POINT.  137 

though  annihilated.  Of  course,  after  the  clouds 
passed  off,  and  the  moon  stood  full  and  round, 
pouring  her  light  across  the  dancing  waves,  we 
could  see  her  distinctly.  As  I  went  out  on  the 
piazza  I  could  hear  the  voices  of  her  crew.  One 
sailor  was  singing  the  snatches  of  some  rough 
chanty,  as  I  went  in  and  locked  the  door  for  the 
night.  I  looked  once  more  out  of  the  window  and 
saw  the  brightly -burning  fire  of  our  unknown 
friends,  the  campers.  They  were  probably  drying 
their  dampened  clothes. 

The  next  morning  the  schooner,  a  big  three- 
master  in  ballast,  was  still  anchored  in  her  rather 
perilous  position.  The  white  tent  of  the  campers 
gleamed  in  the  morning  sun.  We  could  see  the 
young  men  busying  themselves,  probably  about 
their  breakfast.  Just  after  we  had  eaten  our  own, 
the  boys  called  our  attention  to  a  handsome  steam- 
yacht  that  was  swiftly  coming  up  the  bay.  We 
watched  her  as  she  passed ;  we  heard  her  salute 
the  lighthouse,  and  the  three  answering  taps  on  the 
big  fog-bell  were  borne  distinctly  to  our  ears.  She 
passed  out  of  sight,  and  with  a  brief  wonder  whose 
she  was  and  whither  she  was  bound,  we  forgot  all 
about  her. 

That  schooner,  that  camp  and  that  yacht  had  a 
deeper  interest  for  us  than  we  then  suspected. 

After  breakfast  Mr.  Epps  drove  up  and  invited 
Mrs.  Merrithew  and  me  to  take  Natalie  and  ride 


138  OX    THE    POIXT. 

over  to  the  Springs  with  him.  It  was  a  perfect 
morning,  after  the  shower,  but  calm.  There  was 
not  a  ripple  on  the  water.  The  mountains  stood 
out  against  the  cloudless  sky  with  every  ravine 
clearly  defined.  The  islands  were  each  distinct,  in 
stead  of  blending,  as  they  so  often  did.  The  three- 
master  still  rode  at  anchor  waiting  for  the  tug-boat. 
Out  in  mid-stream  a  small  schooner  had  got  up 
anchor,  and  a  couple  of  men  in  a  small  boat  were 
trying  to  row  her  a  little  faster  than  the  rising  tide. 
\Ye  were  glad  enough  to  take  the  ride  with  our 
kind  Mr.  Epps,  and  it  was  while  we  were  gone  that 
the  schooner  and  the  camp,  by  a  swift  culmination 
of  circumstances,  came  into  play  to  change  the 
peaceful  serenity  of  our  summer  by  the  bay. 

\Ye  were  so  out  of  the  great  world,  so  aloof  from 
the  current  of  travel  that  passed  us  by,  so  seem 
ingly  isolated,  that  we  scarcely  thought  of  the  pos 
sibilities  that  this  sweeping  current  had  to  offer. 
There  were  few  people  at  the  hotel ;  we  saw  almost 
nothing  of  them.  It  was  only  occasionally  that  the 
steamboat  condescended  to  touch  at  our  wharf. 
The  men  on  the  two  tug-boats  were  honest  fellows, 
who  for  the  most  part  lived  along  the  river.  The 
vessels  that  anchored  in  the  inner  bay  lay  not  far 
from  us,  but  if  ever  any  of  their  crews  went  ashore, 
it  was  not  on  the  Point,  but  on  the  farther  side, 
nearest  the  village.  We  had,  therefore,  become 
perfectly  unconcerned  and  without  thought  of  harm. 


OA     THE   POIXT.  139 

But  the  real  clanger  that  existed  was  brought 
home  to  us  that  morning. 

Strawberries  had  been  succeeded  by  raspberries. 
That  morning,  Margaret  took  a  basket  and  strolled 
along  the  shore,  looking  for  berries.  She  walked 
on  and  on,  and  found  herself  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  our  settlement. 

About  half-way  between  the  lighthouse  and  the 
cape  rises  a  steep  cliff  crowned  with  a  dense  grove 
of  evergreens.  There  is  no  path  along  the  brow, 
and  when  the  tide  is  in,  the  water  laps  its  feet, 
sucking  in  and  out  of  little  caves.  Just  before  this 
headland  commences,  there  is  a  small  cove  where 
the  bluff  is  not  quite  so  steep,  and  the  shore  is 
shelving.  Some  of  the  larger  bowlders  have  been 
cleared  away,  making  a  sort  of  narrow  dock,  up  which 
men  can  drag  their  punts  without  staving  holes  in 
their  bottoms  on  the  sharp  rocks.  A,  fishing-boat, 
half  full  of  ill-smelling  water,  is  generally  moored  to 
a  buoy  a  few  rods  off  shore.  A  rough  path  leads 
from  this  point  up  through  the  hemlock  and  spruces 
and  several  pastures,  until  it  strikes  a  lane  that 
runs  into  the  back  road  to  the  village. 

Margaret  had  followed  along  this  path,  and  was 
engaged  in  filling  her  basket  with  the  berries  that 
grew  abundantly  beside  the  stone  wall  bisecting 
the  pasturage. 

Suddenly  she  was  startled  by  seeing  a  rough- 
looking  man,  tall  and  gaunt,  unshaven  and  with 


140  av  TFIE  roixr. 

wicked  black  eyes,  coming  down  the  lane.  When 
he  caught  sight  of  Margaret,  he  stopped  short. 

"  Peekin'  a-berry,  hell  ?  "  he  said,  with  a  strongly- 
marked  foreign  accent.  He  was  a  Portuguese 
sailor,  evidently  from  the  three-master,  that  for 
some  unacountable  reason  still  lay  at  anchor  off  our 
weir. 

Margaret  looked  around,  and  perceiving  that  she 
was  quite  alone,  without  making  any  answer,  started 
up  the  lane.  But  the  sailor  placed  himself  in  front 
of  her. 

"  Minha  lindissima  —  my  beauty  Mees  !  —  we  'lone 
—  dai-mc —  geef  me  kees." 

Margaret  afterwards  told  us  that  in  spite  of  her 
fright  she  could  not  help  being  amused  at  the  rude 
rhyme  the  sailor  made.  He  held  out  his  long 
arms. 

"  Papa,  there  was  a  whole  picture  tattoed  on  his 
arm  in  blue  and  red,"  said  Margaret,  whom  I  will 
allow  to  finish  the  story.  You  may  imagine  she- 
was  full  of  it  when  we  got  home. 

"•  He  held  out  his  long  arms,  with  a  smile  that  I 
suppose  he  meant  to  be  engaging.  I  did  not  like 
it,  and  tried  to  dodge  away  from  him.  Put  he  was 
too  near  me.  I  did  n't  want  to  sacrifice  my  berries  : 
yet  I  was  just  going  to  Ming  them  into  his  face, 
but  he  saw  my  motion  and  grasped  my  arm.  I 
thank  him  for  his  consideration,  for  if  you  have  am 
berries  for  tea  tonight  it  will  be  because  he  pre- 


o:\'  THE  roixT.  141 

vented  me  from  wasting  them  on  him.  He  seized 
the  basket  and  set  it  down  on  the  ground." 

"  Did  n't  you  scream  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh  !  I  did  n't  want  to  scream.  Besides,  what 
good  would  it  have  done?  There  was  no  one  in 
sight,  and  I  did  n't  suppose  any  one  would  hear 
me.  ljut  when  I  saw  that  I  could  n't  get  away 
from  him,  I  told  him  I'd  scratch  his  eyes  out  if  he 
touched  me.  I  think  I  must  have  looked  pretty 
angry,  but  he  did  n't  seem  to  care. 

"  *•  Mnito  bonitaj  or  something  like  that,  said  he. 
'  Geef  kees  ! '  ' 

"  Well,  do  tell  us  how  you  got  rid  of  the  knave  ! 
I  should  like  to  give  him  a  good  horse 
whipping  ! " 

''When  I  found  that  I  couldn't  escape  from  him, 
and  that  he  was  a  great  strapping  fellow  who  might 
have  carried  me,  then  I  grew  really  frightened  and 
tried  to  scream,  but  I  could  n't  get  any  sound  out 
of  my  throat.  Just  at  that  instant  two  young  men 
came  up  the  path,  and  seeing  the  state  of  things  at 
a  glance,  they  came  to  my  aid.  The  sailor  took  to 
his  heels  and  I  was  left  with  my  preservers." 

"  You  were  a  lucky  girl !  "  I  cried.  "  And  who 
were  your  young  knights  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  their  names,  but  they  are  camping 
out  — 

"  What !  those  youths  who  were  drowned  out 
in  the  thunder-shower  last  night  ?  " 


14-  CLV    THE    POJXT. 

"  Yes,  the  very  same.  They  were  on  their  way 
to  the  Springs  when  they  found  me  with  my  dragon 
or  giant,  and  they  most  obligingly  picked  up  my 
basket  of  berries  and  insisted  on  seeing  me  safely 
home.  I  found  out  a  good  deal  about  them.  They 
are  Harvard  students,  and  they  have  been  up  to, 
dear  me,  I  forget  the  name  of  that  lake,  —  way  up 
the  country." 

"  How  did  they  enjoy  the  shower  ? '' 

"Well,  they  said  they  were  tempted  to  come  up 
and  ask  for  shelter,  but  they  managed  to  get  into 
the  spring-house  and  keep  pretty  dry.  They  told 
me  that  the  lightning  struck  a  pine  quite  near  them 
and  set  it  on  fire,  and  it  was  burning  this  morn 
ing  - 

"Oh,  yes!  "  cried  Alfred,  and  Magnus,  Jr.,  in  one 
breath;  "we  went  to  see  it.  Oh,  it  was  a  terrible 
tire  right  in  the  middle  of  the  tree,  and  it  is  smok 
ing  yet !  " 

"  You  '11  have  to  be  more  careful  how  you  wander 
around  alone.  I  was  told  that  such  a  creature  as  a 
tramp  was  never  known  here  at  the  Point.  Hut 
then,  any  sea-side  place  is  liable  to  be  visited  by 
pirates." 

"I  don't  think  he  meant  any  great  harm,"  said 
Margaret.  "  He  was  a  sailor,  and  he  knew  it 
wouldn't  be  safe." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  I.  "These 
sailors,  especially  the  foreign  ones,  are  pretty  reck- 


ay  THE  POIXT.  143 

less  fellows.  The  captains  are  all  right.  They  are 
respectable  men ;  but  they  pick  up  their  crews 
wherever  they  can  get  'em.  Don't  you  remember 
what  that  captain  told  us  the  day  we  were  rowing 
in  the  inner  bay,  and  went  out  round  that  big 
bark  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  remember  that ;  but  still  a  man  would 
not  dare  to  do  any  harm  on  shore  and  then  return 
to  his  ship  ;  and  if  he  stayed  on  shore  he'd  be  caught, 
sure.'' 

"There's  something  in  that,  I  acknowledge,"  I 
replied.  '•  But  I  must  go  clown  and  thank  Sir 
Galahad  and  Sir  What's-his-name." 

"  Invite  them  up  to  dinner,"  suggested  my  wife, — 
"that  is,  if  they  seem  like  respectable  young  men. 
To-morrow  we  '11  have  a  specially  good  dinner,  with 
some  of  Farmer  Ormsby's  broilers,  and  some  of 
Farmer  Bigg's  sweet  corn,  and  — 

"  And  some  of  mamma's  and  Margaret's  ice 
cream,"  suggested  Magnus,  Jr.,  interrupting  his 
mother's  flow  of  eloquence. 

"  Of  course  they  're  respectable  young  men  !  " 
exclaimed  Margaret.  "Don't  you  suppose  I  know 
a  respectable  young  man  when  I  see  one,  or 
two  when  I  see  two  ?  They  are  Harvard  stu 
dents." 

"  Of  course,  they  may  be  respectable,"  I  inter 
posed,  trying  to  calm  Margaret's  indignation.  "  But, 
if  they  are  camping  out,  they  may  not  have  clothes 
suitable  to  —  suitable  to  — 


144  °*v  THE  roixr. 

"  Who  cares  about  their  clothes,"  interrupted 
Margaret,  though  my  hesitation,  perhaps,  gave  her 
some  justification. 

"  This  habit  of  interrupting  is  a  very  bad  one," 
I  remarked,  severely.  "  You  did  not  allow  me  to 
finish.  I  will  go  down  and  suitably  thank  your 
unknown  knights,  and  I  will,  possibly,  invite  them 
to  our  Table  Round." 

"  May  I  go  with  you,  papa  ?  "  "  May  we  go  with 
you?"  cried  the  boys;  and  Natalie,  who  came 
running  in  at  that  instant,  also  joined  in  the  cry. 

"  Do  you  think  I  want  to  take  a  whole  menagerie 
with  me  ?  "  I  exclaimed.  "  No.  sir  ree  !  I  go  on  this 
embassy  untrammelled  by  any  encumbrances.  If 
it  were  an  enemy's  camp  it  might  be  appropriate  to 
take  olive  branches  with  me." 

"  I  wish  papa  would  n't  use  such  big  words,"  said 
Magnus,  Jr.  "  What  does  '  uncammelled  '  mean  ?  " 

I  proceeded  in  solitary  dignity  down  to  the  camp, 
and  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  the  two  young 
men  at  home.  I  presented  my  credentials  as  envoy 
extraordinary  and  minister  plenipotentiary.  That 
is,  I  gave  my  name,  and  announced  that  I  had  come 
to  thank  them  for  their  graceful  defence  of  my 
daughter. 

"  Don't  mention  it,"  they  cried ;  "  it  was  the 
merest  trifle.  We  did  n't  do  anything,  either, 
though  it  was  lucky  we  happened  to  come  along 
just  at  that  moment.  Your  daughter  was  very 


OX    THE   POIXT.  145 

plucky.  The  fellow  had  taken  to  his  heels  before 
we  got  there.  He  was  probably  glad  to  escape. 
The  young  lady  looked  like  an  angry  goddess." 

I  was  equal  to  them  there,  for  I  remembered 
enough  of  my  Virgil  to  quote, — 

"  S(C7'ic  memorcm  lunonis  ob  Irani." 

They  looked  at  me  in  some  surprise. 

1  soon  learned  that  they  were  members  of  the 
new  senior  class  at  Cambridge.  Now  comes  in  an 
other  of  the  surprises  of  this  memorable  day. 

This  world  is  a  very  small  one  for  its  size,  and  1 
have  found  that  no  matter  where  I  go,  I  always  find 
some  one  who  knows,  or  is  related  to  some  one  of 
my  acquaintance.  Other  people,  with  vastly  wider 
experiences,  have  noticed  the  same  thing.  The 
universal  descent  from  Adam  is  significant  as  a 
myth. 

These  two  young  men,  spending  a  part  of  their 
long  summer  vacation  in  a  canoe  trip,  and  dropping 
down,  as  it  were  by  chance,  at  our  door,  proved  to  be 
the  sons  of  two  college  classmates  of  my  own.  The 
names  —  Cranston  and  Curtiss  —  instantly  struck  me 
as  familiar,  and  it  did  not  take  long  questioning  to 
discover  that  they  indeed  deserved  special  con 
sideration  at  my  hands.  Their  fathers  had  not 
been  among  my  most  intimate  friends,  but  I 
remembered  them  pleasantly,  and  had  occasionally 
met  them  since  our  graduation.  One  of  them  had 
studied  for  the  ministry,  and  was  now  a  D.  D.,  and 


146  ON    THE    POINT. 

settled  over  a  prominent  church  in  a  western  city. 
The  other  had  risen  high  at  the  bar,  and  was  a 
judge. 

Their  sons  were  fine,  manly  fellows,  both  athletes, 
well  developed,  and,  as  is  usual  among  chosen 
friends  even  when  the  friendship  is  hereditary, 
complete  contrasts.  Richard  Cranston,  the  Doc 
tor's  son,  was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  grave  and  serious, 
with  the  bluest  of  blue  eyes,  light  abundant  curly 
hair  and  brown  whiskers ;  he  had  broad,  massive 
shoulders,  and  was  a  very  model  of  unconscious 
grace.  I  was  particularly  struck  by  the  noble  mas- 
siveness  of  his  head,  and  the  depth  of  intellect  indi 
cated  by  his  well-moulded  brow.  He  had  a  voice 
that,  in  singing,  would  shake  the  walls.  Even  in 
common  speech  it  was  a  bass  of  tremendous  power. 
I  needed  little  skill  of  prophecy  to  foretell  that  he 
was  a  man  bound  to  make  his  mark. 

Ralf  Curtiss  was  slender  and  firmly  knit.  He 
had  no  superfluous  Mesh;  he  was  one  of  those  men 
who  can  row  or  walk  all  day,  and  tire  out  men  of 
twice  their  apparent  strength.  He  had  brown  eyes, 
so  dark  that  they  seemed  almost  black.  His  hair 
was  as  straight  as  an  Indian's.  Cranston  was 
appreciative  of  humor,  but  as  grave  as  a  judge  ; 
Ralf,  on  the  other  hand,  had  the  bump  of  fun  and 
wit  extraordinary  developed. 

I  must  confess  I  was  glad  enough  to  see  these 
two  young  men.  My  heart  warmed  to  them  not 
only  on  their  fathers',  but  on  their  own  account. 


GN   THE  rOTATT.  .  147 

They  had  intended  to  break  camp  that  very 
day,  but  it  required  no  persuasion  to  bring  about  a 
postponement  of  their  Might.  They  said, — 

"  We  are  our  own  masters,  and  can  spend  a 
month  here  if  we  want." 

"  I  wisli  you  had  '  swum  into  'our  ken '  a  few 
clays  earlier,"  said  I,  rather  reckless  of  potential 
complications.  "  We  had  a  very  charming  young 
lady  visiting  us.  She  left  us  only  yesterday  after 
noon.  She  and  my  daughter  gave  us  some  fine 
music ;  you  would  have  enjoyed  it." 

"Yes;  it  is  too  bad,"  replied  Ralf.  "We  are 
both  very  fond  of  music.  Richard  sings  in  the 
Glee  Club  and  I  play  in  the  Pierian." 

They  agreed  to  come  up  to  the  house  and  spend 
the  evening,  and  to  take  dinner  with  us  on  the  fol 
lowing  day.  I  could  read  in  their  faces  pleasant 
anticipations. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  cottage  I  told  the  result 
of  my  embassy. 

"  Now  is  it  not  a  strange  coincidence,"  said  I, 
"that  these  sons  of  my  classmates  should  happen 
upon  us  in  this  out-of-the-world  place  ?  They  are 
line  fellows.  You'll  have  to  play  to  them, 
Margaret ;  they  are  both  musical." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

WHEREIN     A      YACHT      ENTERS      UNDER      THE    DISPOSI 
TION    OF    FATE. 

WHILE  we  were  still  talking  about  the  events 
of  the  morning,   the  boys,  who  had  disap 
peared  shortly  after  my  departure  on  the  embassy, 
came  rushing  into  the  parlor  in  a  state  of  the  wild 
est  excitement. 

"  Oh,  papa,  mamma,  Margaret !  there's  the  loveli 
est  yacht  you  ever  saw  anchored  just  a  little  ways 
beyond  the  wharf,--  a  steam  yacht !    I  think  it 's  the 
one  went  by  this  morning.      Come  and  look  at  it !  " 
There  seemed  no  good  reason  why  we  should  not 
148 


OA"   Tf/E   rOTNT.  149 

go  with  the  boys.  Mrs.  Merrithew  suggested 
taking  the  baby  in  his  carriage.  So  we  all  started 
forth.  We  had  not  gone  as  far  as  the  lighthouse 
when  we  passed  a  stout,  elderly  man  with  a  ruddy 
but  wrinkled  face,  small,  steady,  grayish  eyes,  a 
stout  little  nose,  that  had  evidently  been  treated  all 
its  life  to  plenty  of  stimulating  food  and  drink,  and 
a  rotund  little  stomach  marvellously  balanced  on  a 
pair  of  short  stout  legs.  He  was  a  man  of  con 
siderable  importance.  No  one  could  have  such  a 
stomach  and  fail  to  carry  weight  in  any  community. 
He  wore  a  yachting  cap  and  a  sort  of  uniform  ; 
bushy  locks,  emerging  from  the  rim  of  the  cap, 
were  snowy  white.  His  rather  full  side- whiskers 
were  also  white.  He  must  have  been  fully  sixty 
years  of  age,  perhaps  more. 

I  think  the  Merrithew  family,  when  it  paraded  en 
masse  under  the  perpendicular  rays  of  the  summer 
sun  —  baby  carriage,  baby,  boys  and  all  —  made  an 
imposing  spectacle.  That  we  were  bent  on  seeing 
the  big  steam-yacht  was  in  itself  a  great  honor  for 
the  yacht  and  the  owner  thereof. 

It  was  the  owner  of  the  yacht  whom  we  passed. 
He  stood  for  a  moment  and  watched  us.  I  fancied 
—  and  so  did  Mrs.  Merrithew,  as  she  afterwards 
confessed  —  that  a  sort  of  wistful,  pathetic  look 
came  into  his  eyes  as  he  saw  the  proud  pater 
f<imi/,'<is,  marshalling  his  Hock  under  the  perpen 
dicular  ravs  of  the  summer  sun.  We  did  not  know 


150  av  THE  POIXT. 

then  that  he  was  the  owner  of  the  yacht.  He 
might  have  been  some  stranger  at  the  hotel,  who 
perhaps  either  had  never  had,  or  had  lost  promising 
children,  and  felt  his  loneliness  in  this  big  world, 
without  kith  or  kin  to  help  him  enjoy  his  wealth. 

In  accordance  with  the  simple  country  custom 
which  I  always  fall  into,  I  bowed  politely  to  him. 
and  he  raised  his  cap.  Then  his  eyes  fell  on 
Margaret.  No,  I  am  wrong;  I  think  his  eyes  were 
on  her  all  the  time.  1  shall  never  forget  the  look 
that  came  into  them.  It  was  a  sudden  mixture  of 
wonder  and  admiration  and  worship,  which  quite 
redeemed  whatever  was  commonplace  in  his  face, 
lifting  it,  as  it  were,  to  a  higher  plane  of  humanity. 

We  passed  on,  Margaret  evidently  quite  uncon 
scious  of  the  impression  that  she  had  produced. 

"  I  guess  that  's  the  owner  of  the  yacht."  said 
Mrs.  Merrithew. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  I,  with  wide  practical  wisdom, 
"he's  no  yacht  owner!  He  may  be  a  yacht 
captain." 

And  so  we  passed  on,  entered  the  domain  of  the 
hotel,  where  the  boys  first  attacked  the  big  teeter, 
then  went  down  the  shaded,  winding  path  that  led 
to  the  wharf.  There  lay  the  yacht,  about  half  a 
furlong  from  the  shore,  her  Hags  flying  in  the  gentle 
breeze.  She  was  a  large  yacht,  schooner-rigged. 

"  One  could  cross  the  ocean  in  that  vessel,"  I 
remarked. 


ON  THE  /WAT:  151 

"  Oh,  I  wish  we  could  go  on  board  of  her ! 
Can't  we,  papa  ?  "  cried  Harold,  impetuously. 

I  explained  that  as  I  was  not  acquainted  with 
her  owner  I  did  not  see  very  well  how  it  could  be 
managed.  But  1  added,  magnanimously,  that  if 
it  were  mine  I  would  take  them  all  out  to  sail  on 
her  ! 

"  There !  we  might  have  rowed  round,"  said 
Margaret. 

"  You  mean  /might  have  rowed  round,"  said  I. 

"  You  know  I  like  to  row,  papa.  I  '11  go  and 
get  the  boat  now,  and  bring  it  round  and  row  you 
all  back  !  " 

"  Baby  carriage  and  all  ?  "  I  suggested. 

"  No ;  1  '11  send  Cassandra  up  for  the  baby." 

"  But  you  could  n't  get  the  boat  down  into  the 
water,  child  of  mortality !  If  the  yacht  is  here 
to-morrow  we  will  row  up  and  go  round  her." 

It  was  so  decided,  and  we  turned  back.  On  our 
way  we  met  the  elderly  gentleman,  who  again  lifted 
his  cap  politely.  I  turned  round  to  get  another 
glimpse  of  him.  He  also  had  turned,  and  was 
staring  with  all  his  eyes. 

"  Margaret,"  said  I,  "  you  have  made  a  conquest ! 
You  did  n't  see  how  our  friend  of  the  white  side- 
whiskers  devoured  you  with  his  little  gray  eyes. 
Beware  !  " 

"  If  he  's  the  owner  of  the  yacht,"  replied  Mrs. 
Merrithew,  jestingly,  "  it  might  be  worth  while  for 
Margaret  to  cultivate  his  acquaintance." 


1 5  2  6>.v  THE  rorxr. 

"  Yres,"  I  pursued,  "  I  have  always  wanted  a 
yacht.  When  Margaret  is  ten  years  older  I 
shouldn't  object  to  her  marrying  one.'' 

'•  How  absurd  you  are  !  "  exclaimed  Margaret. 

'•  I  think  so,  too,"  said  I,  heartily. 

And  it  was  ridiculous  to  be  filling  the  girl's  head 
with  such  notions.  People  are  never  consistent, 
and  are  always  failing  to  carry  out  their  own 
theories. 

Cranston  and  Curtiss  came  up  and  spent  the 
evening.  Curtiss  told  us  a  good  many  anecdotes  of 
his  college  experience.  He  gave  us  a  most  comical 
account  of  the  way  some  acquaintances  of  his.  see 
ing  the  dreadful  mortuary  statue  of  the  late  Presi 
dent  Garfield  that  has  long  been  standing  in  a 
certain  Cambridgeport  marble -yard,  conceived  a 
bold  plan  of  deception  which  they  forthwith  carried 
into  execution.  They  somehow  procured  some 
official  paper  with  the  college  seal,  and  wrote  a 
letter  to  the  proprietor  of  the  marble-yard,  stating 
that  "  a  certain  person  (who,  as  was  well  known, 
had  recently  left  a  large  bequest  to  Harvard)  had 
directed  that  a  considerable  sum  should  be  ex 
pended  on  the  purchase  and  erection  of  a  marble 
statue  to  Garfield  in  Memorial  Hall.  It  was  near 
commencement  time,  and  it  was  important  that  the 
work  should  be  accomplished  at  once.  The  author 
ities  had  noticed  that  fine,  noble  chef  iFa'tn're  in  his 
establishment,  and  had  without  hesitation  decided 


O.V    THE    POJXT.  153 

that  nothing  more  satisfactory  could  be  found  any 
where.  They  would  therefore  like  to  have  this  statue 
erected  at  once  in  the  peristyle.  The  place  would  be 
marked  in  red  chalk  where  the  statue  was  designed 
to  stand. 

"Unfortunately  for  the  schemers/'  said  the  nar 
rator,  "  the  proprietor  must  have  smelt  a  rat,  but  I 
think  if  he  had  not  tumbled  to  it  that  would  have 
been  far  funnier  than  painting  that  imaginary  statue 
of  John  Harvard  with  red  paint !  " 

1  remarked  that  probably  the  spirit  of  mischief 
would  never  die  out.  "  See  how  stockbrokers  haze 
fledgling  members  of  the  exchange."  And  then  we 
had  a  very  good  time  telling  stories  and  comparing 
old  days  with  the  modern.  Of  course  they  knew  a 
good  deal  about  the  college  of  my  day,  having 
heard  their  fathers  often  talking  about  it. 

Then  we  had  music.  Cranston  was  persuaded 
to  sing,  and  his  voice  was  so  big  and  pervading 
that  it  waked  up  both  the  babies.  The  poor  things 
evidently  thought  another  thunder-storm  was  in 
progress.  He  sang  "The  Heart  Bowed  Down," 
"  Rocked  in  the  Cradle  of  the  Deep,"  and  several 
modern  sea  songs.  Margaret  gave  us  some  of  her 
best  piano  pieces,  and  then  was  induced  to  bring 
out  her  zither. 

The  zither,  with  its  mysterious,  far-away  tone, 
and  faint,  quivering  melody,  is  always  a  favorite 
of  mine.  It  also  pleased  our  young  guests,  who 


154  <^ 

were  enthusiastic  over  the  performance.  Lastly, 
(Jurtiss  sat  down  at  the  piano,  and  playing  his  own 
accompaniments,  as  indeed  he  had  played  for  his 
friend,  sang  a  dozen  rollicking  songs :  "  Cupid, 
Cupid,  why  so  Slow?"  "The  Cat  Came  Hack,"  and 
others  from  the  Pudding  operas ;  but  the  old  col 
lege  songs,  "Jingle  Hells,"  "  Stop  that  Knocking," 
the  sentimental  "  Seeing  Nellie  Home,"  "  Cockles 
and  Muscles,"  "  Rum  sty,  (),"  which  I  had  sung  in 
days  gone  by,  were  quite  unknown  to  him.  They 
were  antiquities,  just  as  I  myself  was  a  kind  of 
antique. 

We  ended  with  "Fair  Harvard,"  though  not  one 
of  us  knew  the  words  of  more  than  the  first  verse; 
and  for  the  second  verse  we  sang  the  first  over 
again.  That  is  as  it  always  hath  been,  and  always 
will  be ! 

We  had  a  very  jolly  evening. 

Several  times  Adele  had  been  mentioned,  but 
perhaps  not  by  name,  or  only  as  Adele.  When  the 
young  men  were  standing  by  the  piano,  Cranston 
happened  to  be  turning  over  the  music,  and  his  eye 
fell  on  the  name  written  on  a  piece  of  Chaikovsky's 
that  Adele  had  accidentally  left.  He  quietly 
showed  it  to  young  Curtiss,  who  instantly,  with 
some  excitement  in  his  face  and  manner,  ex 
claimed,  — 

"  Do  you  know  her?     Do  you  know  Adele  ?  " 

"Why,    yes,"    replied    Margaret.     "Know    her? 


OiV  THE  roiXT.  155 

of  course  we  do.  She  spent  all  last  week  with  us, 
and  only  left  us  yesterday." 

"  Where  is  she  —  where  is  she  now?"  he  interro 
gated,  with  growing  excitement,  which  I  could  see 
he  tried  to  repress. 

"  She  's  at  the  Franks',  about  three  miles  from 
here,  just  at  the  bend  above." 

It  is  not  always  safe  to  judge  by  appearances. 
Symptoms  sometimes  go  by  contraries.  I  quite 
plumed  myself  on  my  acuteness,  for  I  was  con 
vinced  that  in  Curtiss  I  saw  one  of  the  hapless 
moths  that  had  been  singeing  its  wings  around  the 
bright  candle  of  Adele's  vivid  personality.  I 
afterwards  found  that  I  was  mistaken.  It  was 
Cranston  who  was  in  love  with  the  girl,  and  Curtiss, 
who  knew  the  circumstances,  was  more  interested 
on  his  friend's  account  than  Cranston  himself  ap 
peared  to  be. 

I  ventured  a  rather  risky  remark,  for  which  I 
was  afterwards  punished  by  both  Margaret  and 
Mrs.  Merrithew.  I  said,  as  innocently  as  pos 
sible,  - 

"Miss  Aclele  didn't  seem  as  lively  as  usual. 
Really,  we  thought  there  was  something  on  her 
mind." 

Both  the  ladies  here  made  a  diversion  by  inter 
rupting  me.  I  had  already  a  yet  bolder  stroke, 
and  was  watching  Curtiss's  face.  But  my  obser 
vations  were  not  fruitful.  I  happened  to  be  watch- 


1 56  o.v  THE  roiA'T. 

ing  the  wrong  face.  It  is  a  curious  world,  as  1 
have  many  times  remarked  to  Mrs.  Merrithew,  and 
she  always  replies,  "  I  have  heard  you  say  so 
before." 

Early  the  next  morning,  before  breakfast,  Mr. 
C'hamfray  appeared,  "whoa-ing"  and  "  whoa-hysh- 
ing"  his  single  steer.  I  thought  he  might  have 
brought  us  a  lobster.  It  was  the  same  old  story,— - 

"  No ;  hain't  got  one  to-day.  There 's  allus 
somethin'  to  keep  a  rabbit's  tail  short.  Want  one 
to-morra?  Git  you  one  to-morra." 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Chamfray,"  said  I,  "you've  held 
out  to  us  that  same  promise  almost  every  clay  this 
summer,  and  you  have  brought  us  only  two,  and 
those  were  little  ones." 

"  \Val,  I  '11  bring  you  one  to-morra,  —  if  nothing 
breaks  thicker  'n  a  shingle.  Be  jolly  !  they  ain't  's 
plenty  's  they  used  to  be.  Don'  know  what  's 
become  of  'em." 

After  breakfast  I  took  the  young  people,  Mar 
garet  included,  and  rowed  up  into  the  inner  bay. 
The  big  yacht  was  still  at  anchor.  We  cruised 
around  her,  admiring  her  graceful  lines  and  coming 
near  enough  to  read  the  name,  u  Yetolka,"  under 
her  stern.  Her  owner's  Mag  was  Hying  and  we 
knew  that  he  was  aboard,  but  we  saw  nothing  of 
anyone  but  the  crew. 

But  as  we  were  about  to  return,  the  fat,  pudgy 
gentleman  whom  we  had  met  the  previous  day 


av  THE  roiivr.  157 

came  on  deck.  He  saw  us  and  recognized  us. 
We  were  near  enough  to  speak. 

Margaret  whispered,  "  I  think  he  might  invite 
us  aboard." 

L  suppose  it  may  have  been  a  rather  irregular 
proceeding,  but  he  seemed  intuitively  to  respond  to 
my  daughter's  desire. 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  come  aboard?"  he 
shouted,  in  a  friendly  tone,  though  his  voice  was 
rather  cracked. 

We  accepted  his  invitation  as  unceremoniously. 
I  rowed  alongside,  and  the  captain  and  the  owner 
aided  us  to  mount  to  the  deck. 

It  was  indeed  a  beautiful  vessel,  and  no  expense 
had  been  spared  in  securing  every  comfort  and 
every  luxury.  Costly  woods  and  brightly-polished 
metals  with  rich  but  tasteful  fabrics  were  employed 
in  her  decoration.  The  large  dining-room  was 
elegant;  the  staterooms  were  ample,  and  furnished 
in  the  most  luxurious  manner. 

"  My  friends  often  ask  me  why  I  don't  have  a 
summer  cottage,"  said  our  host,  ''  but  I  always  tell 
'em  that  I  prefer  a  yacht.  It  is  just  as  comfort 
able  as  a  house,  and  when  I  get  tired  of  one  place 
I  go  to  another.  In  the  winter,  I  go  to  Florida,  or 
Cuba,  or  the  Bermudas." 

" '  The  vext  Bermuthes,'  as  some  poet  called 
them,"  said  I. 

He  afterwards  confessed  that  he  sometimes 
found  it  rather  lonelv. 


158  ON    THE    POINT. 

"I'm  an  old  bachelor,"  said  he,  "and  —  and  — 

But  he  did  not  finish  his  sentence. 

His  name,  as  he  took  pains  to  inform  me,  was 
Mr.  Archibald  Gregor,  and  he  had  been  out  of 
r.ctive  business  for  several  years.  He  showed  us 
all  over  the  yacht,  was  gracious  even  to  the  small 
boys,  but  he  quite  devoted  himself  to  Margaret. 
One  thing  struck  me  with  a  little  surprise,  —  he 
knew  my  name.  He  must  have  made  inquiries  at 
the  hotel  or  elsewhere.  He  told  us  that  he  in 
tended  to  stay  at  the  Point  for  several  clays,  and 
would  be  pleased  to  take  us  all  out  on  her  some 
day. 

"We  may  as  well  settle  upon  a  time  now,"  he 
added.  "  Any  time  is  no  time.  How  would  to 
morrow  do  ? " 

I  knew  of  no  contrary  engagement  and  so  as 
sented,  after  consulting  with  Margaret. 

"  All  right,  then,"  said  Mr.  Gregor ;  '•  be  at  the 
wharf  at  nine  o'clock.  You  will  dine  with  me,  and 
we  will  be  back  before  sunset." 

With  that,  after  mutual  expressions  of  pleasure  at 
this  odd,  informal  introduction,  we  parted. 

By  the  time  we  reached  the  cottage  it  was  about 
noon,  and  we  had  to  prepare  for  our  guests. 

We  were  never  certain  of  the  results  of  Swedish 
Selma's  cooking;  it  was  as  erratic  as  her  temper. 
But  it  happened  that  this  day  she  quite  outdid 
herself:  the  delicious  soup  was  salter  than  the 


OA'  THE  POIXT.  159 

Dead  Sea.  The  broilers,  which  always  hitherto  she 
had  set  on  the  table  passably  adapted  to  the  taste 
of  a  gourmet,  were  burnt  to  a  crisp,  and  only 
Farmer  Bigg's  corn  was  an  unqualified  success. 

My  wife  has  one  good  quality :  she  never 
attempts  to  make  excuses  and  apologies.  Our 
appetites  were  all  keen  enough  to  make  light  of 
such  trifles;  and  our  guests,  to  whom  a  dinner 
served  on  a  white  table-cloth  was  a  luxury,  seemed 
to  enjoy  it. 

I  dropped  some  remark  about  the  world  being 
given  up  to  swallowing  camels.  Cranston  looked 
at  me  with  some  surprise : 

"  Are  you  a  pessimist,  Mr.  Merrithew  ?  " 

"Well,  not  exactly.  I  am  a  sort  of  optimistic 
pessimist,"  I  replied.  "  I  don't  think  this  is  the 
worst  possible  world,  by  any  means,  and  I  don't 
go  as  far  as  a  late  friend  of  mine  did,  who 
used  to  argue  that  we  were,  in  reality,  spirits 
plunged  in  sheol  to  atone  for  sins  committed  in 
another  life.  But  it  sometimes  seems  to  me  that 
things  are  pretty  badly  mixed." 

"Well,  I,  for  my  part,"  replied  the  young  man, 
'•  think  this  is  about  as  good  a  world  as  could  be 
found !  " 

"So  do  I,"  remarked  Margaret;  "and  papa  does, 
really.  He  always  has  a  good  time." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "it  is  one  thing  to  have  a  theory, 
and  it  is  another  to  live  in  accordance  with  it. 


160  av  THE  roixT. 

Now,  in  regard  to  marriage :  I  know  a  number  of 
very  happy  marriages,  but  on  theory  it  is  a  most 
haphazard  arrangement  of  life.  It  is  just  like  the 
Persian  man,  who  wishing  to  make  some  money, 
advertised  that  he  had  at  his  tent  a  great  curiosity, 
—  a  horse  with  his  head  where  the  tail  ought  to  be. 
The  people  flocked  to  see  it,  and  when  they  went  in 
and  saw  a  horse  with  its  tail  toward  the  crib  they 
looked  foolish ;  but  they  had  paid  their  darics,  and 
so,  after  coming  out,  they  kept  the  deception  a 
secret.  At  last,  however,,  when  the  Persian  had 
made  a  fortune,  it  leaked  out.  So  it  is  with  mar 
riage." 

"  What  an  abominable  thing  to  say!"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Merrithew,  indignantly. 

But  I  had  my  design  in  all  such  remarks. 

"  Why,  I  don't  see  anything  abominable  about 
it.  I  gave  credit  due  to  the  happy  marriages,— 
there  are  some,  of  course.  Even  the  word  sweet 
heart  seems  to  be  composed  of  sweet  and  tart." 

"  Let  us  talk  about  something  else  pleasanter," 
said  she. 

"  There,  you  acknowledge  yourself  that  it  is  not 
the  pleasantest — 

"Mr.  Merrithew,"  interrupted  my  wife,  "will  you 
kindly  get  the  bell  ?  Selma  forgot  to  put  it  on." 

This  practical  change  of  topic  brought  about  a 
diversion. 

"  Richard  and   I   propose  to  paddle  over  to  see 


ar  THE  POINT.  161 

Aclele  this  afternoon,"  said  Ralf.  "  Would  there  be 
any  objections  to  Miss  Merrithew  going  with  us?" 

"  What !  in  a  canoe  ?  "  exclaimed  my  wife. 

"  Certainly,  in  our  own  canoe.  I  assure  you  it  is 
perfectly  safe." 

I  may  have  inherited  a  controversial  spirit  from 
some  remote  ancestors ;  if  so,  it  now  showed 
itself,  for,  ordinarily  in  such  circumstances,  I 
should  have  been  the  first  to  see  the  possible 
danger  in  such  an  excursion.  But  I  burst  out, 
impetuously, — 

"  Why,  my  love,  a  canoe  skilfully  managed  is 
the  safest  craft  on  the  water.  There  is  n't  the 
slightest  risk  in  Margaret  going  if  she  would  like  to 
go.  There  is  nothing  more  delightful  than  a 
paddle  in  a  canoe." 

And  even  as  I  spoke  —  I  have  no  doubt  it  was 
meant  as  a  secret  warning  —  rose  before  me  the 
vision  of  myself  paddling  a  fair  girl  on  the  waters 
of  Bar  Harbor  at  sunset's  witching  hour  years 
and  years  before.  The  "birch-bark"  rose  on  the 
smooth  swells  and  sank  into  the  cradling  hollows. 
The  water  was  tinted  like  changeable  silk  with  a 
delicate  rose,  except  where  it  was  broken  into  vivid 
azure  by  paddle  or  skimming  bird.  In  a  canoe 
one  seems  so  close  to  the  heart  of  the  ocean, —  even 
more  than  when  one  is  swimming.  It  is  a  great 
loss  that  we  have  no  mermen  and  mermaids  and 
Tritons  and  sea- nymphs,  for  if  there  is  such  a 


1 62  av  THE  porxr. 

thing  as  re-incarnation,  those  of  us  who  must  go 
down  in  the  scale  can  only  hope  to  come  back  as 
fishes,  —  chubs,  or  salmon,  or  sharks,  according  to 
our  natures,  —  whereas,  if  they  were  the  creatures 
with  which  the  ancients  peopled  the  sea,  we  might 
join  the  court  of  Phorkos  or  Poseidon. 

Margaret  pleaded  to  go,  and  as  I  had  already 
cast  my  vote  in  favor  of  it,  her  mother  waived  her 
objections  under  protest. 

This  matter  was  settled  while  we  were  still  at 
table.  The  last  word  had  just  been  said  when, 
suddenly,  Natalie  cried  out, - 

"  Oh,  mamma,  I  sought  I  saw  a  yat !  zere  it 
goes,  zere  it  goes  !  " 

We  all  laughed ;  but  Magnus,  Jr.,  jumped  from 
his  chair,  tipping  it  over  with  a  great  crash,  and 
shouted, — 

"No!  no!  it  wasn't  a  rat,  Natalie,  it  was  only 
a  mice.  There  !  there  !  " 

It  was  indeed  a  little  wee  mouse.  Now  Mrs. 
Merrithew  has  an  inborn  antipathy  to  mice.  She 
knows  it  is  unreasonable,  but  nevertheless  she 
drew  up  her  skirts,  and  if  she  had  been  alone 
she  would  have  climbed  on  the  chair.  Margaret, 
on  the  other  hand,  even  as  a  little  girl,  would 
have  made  pets  of  all  the  mice  in  the  neighbor 
hood  if  her  mother  had  permitted  it.  I  remember 
her  mother's  horror  when  she  brought  home  a 
colony  of  pink-eyed  white  mice  which  some  one 


OAT    THE   POINT.  163 

gave  her.  I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  her 
keep  them,  but  she  had  to  sacrifice  them.  I 
flatter  myself  that  she  inherits  this  fearlessness 
from  her  father.  Girls  are  apt  to  take  after  their 
sires  ! 

\Ve  followed  the  mouse  in  its  erratic  course 
from  chair  to  table,  and  thence  across  to  the 
fireplace.  It  had  disappeared  in  a  little  crack. 

"I  see  him!  1  see  him!"  cried  Alfred.  "I  see 
his  eyes  twinkle  !  There,  there  !  way  in  the  crack  !  " 

"  Where  is  Vaqoub  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Why  was  n't  he 
at  dinner." 

The  cat  himself  answered  my  question.  \Ve 
heard  him  scratching  at  the  screen-door.  That 
miserable  cat  had  almost  ruined  the  lower  part 
of  the  door  with  his  claws.  I  went  to  let  him 
in.  Yaqoub  is  unquestionably  a  very  intelligent 
animal.  He  knows  instinctively  when  we  have 
meals.  If  we  don't  have  company,  he  is  always 
on  time.  He  now  perceived  that  something  was 
going  on.  It  took  him  only  an  instant  to  realize 
that  that  "  something "  concerned  him.  Ihit  the 
little  mouse  was  safe  for  the  time  being.  Yaqoub 
haunted  that  crack  for  some  days,  but  his  claws 
were  not  long  enough  to  reach  the  little  thing. 
And  Margaret  was  as  glad  as  her  mother  was 
sorry. 

We  went  back  to  the  table  for  dessert. 

"  Mamma,"  cried  Magnus,  Jr.,  "  it  was  a  little 
tiny  wee  bit  of  a  baby  mouse  !  " 


164  ON   THE    POINT. 

"  Don't  speak  of  it ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Merrithew. 

We  had  to  laugh,  she  was  so  earnest ;  but  the 
children  were  not  to  be  repressed. 

"  Do  you  suppose  that 's  his  nest  in  there  ? " 
asked  Alfred. 

"  The  old  mamma  mouse  would  have  felt  bad 
if  Yaqoub  had  caught  him,  would  n't  she  ? "  ex 
claimed  Magnus,  Jr. 

"  Papa,"  cried  Natalie,  evidently  impressed  by 
her  mother's  timidity,  "take  sold  mine  sand,  I 's 
faid." 

But  the  boys  were  still  excited.  Their  infantile 
minds  were  agitated  like  the  sea  after  a  storm 
has  passed. 

"  Say,  papa,  did  he  lay  an  egg  there  ? "  de 
manded  Magnus,  Jr. 

"  Who  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Why,  the  old  mouse." 

Before  I  had  a  chance  to  expostulate,  Alfred, 
who  certainly  ought  to  have  known  better,  mor 
tified  his  parents  and  almost  convulsed  the  two 
young  men,  by  exclaiming, — 

"  Oh,  I  'm  going  to  hunt  and  see  if  I  can  find 
some  of  the  egg-shells." 

"  You  duplex-elliptic  double-back-action  geese  !  " 
I  cried  in  exasperation,  "  what  are  you  talking 
about  ? " 

Why  it  is  that  children  always  seize  the  occasion 
of  company  being  present  to  indulge  in  embar- 


av  THE  roiA'T.  165 

rassing  remarks  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  life. 
l>ut  so  it  has  been  in  my  considerable  experience, 
and  I  hear  other  parents  say  the  same  thing.  It 
is  a  queer  world.  I  think  the  young  men  enjoyed 
their  dinner. 


- 


XIV. 

WHEREIN    MR.    MERRITHEW    SHOWS    THAT    REAUTY     IS 
A    LOADSTONE    TO    LOVE. 

THE  weather  was  propitious  for  our  friends' 
canoe  voyage.  There  was  a  gentle  south 
west  wind,  which  brought  in  a  slight  haze,  so 
that  the  islands  loomed.  Where  there  had  been 
before  a  point  dipping  into  the  sea,  stood  now 
what  seemed  like  an  immense  fortification.  Islands, 
before  out  of  sight,  now  hung,  as  it  were,  above 
the  sea. 

The    young    men    brought    the    canoe    to    a    big 
bowlder   which   served   admirably   for  a   wharf.      It 
166 


OAT   THE   POINT.  l6/ 

was  a  beautiful  little  craft,  light  enough  for  a 
single  man  to  carry,  but  yet  commodious  enough 
to  carry  a  married  man  and  his  wife.  It  floated 
on  the  water  like  a  duck.  Margaret  took  her 
place  amidships  and  they  started.  With  strong, 
regular  strokes  they  glided  away. 

Did  I  not  envy  them?  Did  I  not  again  recall 
those  old  clays  when  I,  too,  free  from  cares, 
unwitting  of  the  future,  except  of  its  glittering, 
beckoning,  rosy  hopes,  floated  on  the  rolling 
waves  at  sunset,  and  the  last  beams  gilded  the 
tops  of  the  evergreens  on  the  Porcupines,  and 
the  white  breakers  dashed  over  the  Thrumb 
Cap !  Ah !  that  was  many  years,  many,  many 
years  agone ! 

And  here  I  was  watching  my  own  daughter 
sailing  away  in  the  same  insouciant,  joyous  mood, 
happily  blind  to  the  coming  years. 

No ;  I  could  not  regret  that  we  had  allowed 
the  girl  to  go.  To  distrust  these  two  young  men 
was  impossible.  A  glance  into  their  faces  told 
that  they  were  honest  souls.  And  as  for  Mar 
garet,  she  was  her  mother's  daughter  !  —  and  mine 
(ahem  ! ). 

They  were  not  gone  very  many  hours.  They 
were  back  before  it  was  dark,  for  so  they  had 
agreed.  Mrs.  Merrithew  had  rightly  insisted  on 
this  as  a  condition  to  her  assent. 

"  We    had   a   delightful    time !  "  cried    Margaret. 


1 68  O.V    THE    POIXT. 

"  They  are  such  fine  fellows.  They  talked  right 
seriously  about  the  responsibilities  of  living  in 
these  days.  I  loved  to  hear  them  talk.  I  thought 
at  first  they  were  going  to  advocate  socialism. 
But  they  are  not  Socialists.  They  said  they 
believed  that  all  the  land  and  all  natural  monop 
olies  should  be  common  property,  —  mines  and 
such  things.  I  have  heard  a  good  deal  about 
Harvard  indifference:  I  didn't  see  any  in  them." 

"  They  wanted  to  impress  you."  I   remarked. 

"But,  papa!"  exclaimed  Margaret.  n:>t  deigning 
to  reply  to  my  innuendo.  "  I  have  a  piece  of  inter 
esting  news  for  you  — 

Then,  suddenly  remembering  her  advantage,  and 
not  unwilling  to  have  her  revenge  —  "I  shan't 
tell  you  unless  you  promise  not  to  say  sarcastic 
things  about  our  friends." 

Of  course  I  had  to  promise,  and  then  Margaret 
told  me  how  Cranston  had  all  along  been  really 
Adele's  favorite,  how  he  had  urged  her  to  be 
come  engaged  to  him.  how  she  refused  to  do  so 
until,  at  least,  he  had  graduated;  how  he  that 
afternoon  had  managed  to  see  Aclele  alone  while 
the  rest  were  looking  at  the  clucks,  and  how 
Adele  had  finally  been  over-persuaded  into  accept 
ing  him. 

••  Well,"  said  I.  "  they  are  both  very  foolish 
children.  He  has  another  whole  year  in  college. 
and  then  three  or  four  years  more  while  acquiring 


av    THE   POIXT.  169 

his  profession,  and  then  it  will  be  several  years 
more  before  he  will  be  able  to  support  a  wife." 

'•But,  papa,  Adele  has  a  little  property  — 

••yes,  so  she  has;  but  Cranston  is  too  manly  a 
fellow  to  want  to  live  on  his  wife,"  said  I. 

"  At  any  rate,"  remarked  Margaret,  "  they  are 
both  very  happy.  You  never  saw  anyone  look 
more  radiant  — 

"  But  what  about  those  other  platonic  friendships 
—  who  will  console  them  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  But,  papa,  she  could  n't  marry  them  all.  Mr. 
Cranston  happened  to  be  on  hand  at  just  the 
right  moment,  and  I  don't  believe  Adele  could 
have  made  a  better  choice." 

"  That  illustrates  the  folly  of  socialism,"  said 
I,  with  apparent  irrelevance.  "They  want  every 
one  to  have  a  place  —  every  one,  themselves 
especially  —  in  the  front  seats  in  the  synagogues; 
but  there  isn't  room,  there  isn't  room — 

Here  our  talk'  was  interrupted. 

The  day  appointed  for  our  sail  in  the  "  Yetolka  " 
was  rainy.  My  wife  was  glad,  for  she  did  not 
more  than  half  approve  of  such  unconventional 
behavior.  In  the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  while 
I  was  reading  and  Margaret  was  practising,  I 
happened  to  look  up  and  see  a  man  with  a 
dripping  umbrella  mounting  our  steps. 

It  was   Mr.  Gregor. 

It    was    a    perfectly    natural    proceeding    on    his 


I/O  OX   THE 

part  to  come  to  apologize  for  the  "  nasty  weather," 
and  to  set  the  next  pleasant  day  for  the  excursion. 
Margaret  was  still  at  the  piano  when  I  heard  his 
knock  and  went  to  meet  him. 

"  Oh  !  "  he  said,  before  even  exchanging  a  word, 
"  I  want  to  hear  your  daughter  play,  I  want  to 
hear  your  daughter  play.  I  am  very  fond  of 
music,  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  I  can  hardly  tell 
one  tune  from  another." 

Margaret,  after  shaking  hands  with  him,  was 
persuaded  to  go  on  with  her  music,  but  she  ex 
changed  the  Bach  preludes  for  some  pieces  nearer 
the  comprehension  of  a  man  whom  she  instinctively 
felt  to  be  a  musical  Philistine. 

The  worthy  Mr.  Gregor's  face  was  a  study. 
I  noticed  the  same  look  of  mute  adoration  that 
had  exalted  it  before.  I  was  proud  that  Miss 
Margaret  should  show  off  well. 

The  rain  was  increasing  in  violence ;  the  wind 
blew  in  great  gusts;  the  waters  of  the  bay,  usually 
so  calm,  dashed  against  our  shore  with  all  the 
violence  of  ocean  surf;  it  was  a  fine  storm.  Mr. 
Gregor  once  or  twice  made  a  feint  of  going,  but 
each  time  a  fresh  squall  of  wind  and  rain  beat 
against  the  house,  and  he  was  not  sorry  for  an 
excuse  to  linger,  though  he  was  well  protected 
against  any  stress  of  weather. 

He  was  really  a  man  of  good  intelligence,  but 
he  sometimes  made  havoc  with  polysyllables,  and 


av    THE   POINT.  i;i 

his  acquaintance  with  Paris  did  not  prevent  him 
from  speaking  of  "  the  Trocadora "  or  "  the  Av- 
enoo  dell  opera."  But  he  had  travelled  widely 
and  seen  much  of  the  world. 

I  grow  less  and  less  to  care  for  merely  superficial 
polish.  That  celebrated  millionnaire  war-governor, 
who  talked  about  being  sent  up  from  camp  to 
Washington  in  "  an  avalanche,"  and  thought  Gen 
eral  Grant's  champagne  was  "  mighty  good  cider," 
but  his  olives  were  "  thunclerin'  poor  pickles,"  may 
have  lacked  a  certain  veneer,  but  the  man  within 
was  "  a  man  for  a'  that." 

So  I  could  forgive  our  friend,  Mr.  Gregor,  certain 
mispronunciations.  Thus,  for  instance,  he  told  us 
that  he  thought  the  spot  where,  the  river 
"debauched"  into  the  bay,  was  one  of  the  loveliest 
on  the  whole  coast, —  it  was,  —  and  he  added, — 

"  I  Ve  sailed  from  Saint  Johns  to  New  Orleens, 
and  I  know  it  all." 

Alfred  came  in  at  just  this  moment  and  showed 
me  his  arm,  which  looked  as  if  it  had  been 
poisoned. 

Mr.  Gregor  showed  a  lively  interest  in  the 
matter,  and  assured  us  that  if  it  were  poisoned 
"  nitroglycerine  was  the  best  anecdote  that  he 
knew." 

I  could  not  have  been  mistaken.     He  repeated 

rtj 

"  Nitro-glycerme  is  just  the  best  anecdote  for 
such  things." 


172  o.v  THE  porxr. 

I  wondered  whether  the  remedy  was  not  a  trifle 
powerful,  not  to  say  sudden,  and  more  reliable  to 
kill  than  to  cure,  but  I  kept  my  face.  These 
••  breaks,"  as  they  are  called  in  fashionable  slang, 
did  not  occur  with  any  great  frequency.  I  remem 
ber  only  two  or  three  others  that  he  made : 
speaking  of  his  health,  he  said  that  it  had  been 
always  very  good,  very  good.  He  was  never 
ill  but  two  or  three  times  in  his  life  ;  once  he  had 
had  an  attack  of  neuralgia,  but  the  doctor  gave  him 
a  hydraulic  injection  in  the  arm,  and  that  cured 
him.  And  as  he  was  going  out  that  day,  he 
remarked  that  if  he  owned  that  cottage  he  should 
be  tempted  to  put  down  a  marquetry  floor. 

1  violate  historical  perspective  a  little  by  thus 
grouping  his  little  slips,  and,  I  repeat,  he  showed 
himself  in  very  many  matters  a  man  of  wide 
general  information. 

He  told  us  how  he  had  made  his  fortune.  He 
had  been  in  business  in  New  York,  but  financial 
reverses  had  overtaken  him,  and  having  lost  every 
thing  or  almost  everything,  he  obtained  a  position 
in  a  Western  railway  office. 

"I  had  my  ears  and  eyes  open,"  he  said,  "and 
when  it  was  whispered  that  the  road  with  which  I 
was  connected  was  going  to  swallow  up  several 
rival  and  competing  lines,  and  add  several  branch 
lines  that  were  struggling  along,  not  even  paying 
two  per  cent,  interest,  I  recognized  my  opportunity. 


O.V    THE    rOIA'T.  T73 

I  came  East,  raised  all  the  money  I  could  borrow, 
and  bought  up  as  many  of  these  bonds  as  I  could 
lay  my  hands  on.  They  were  way  down.  My 
road  did  buy  'em,  and  guaranteed  six  per  cent, 
interest,  and  the  stocks  went  right  up  to  par.  I 
made  a  good  thing  out  of  it,  —  a  mighty,  good 
thing." 

Here  Margaret,  whether  with  a  little  malice  or 
quite  innocently,  asked  point-blank,  — 

"Why,  Mr.  Gregor,  isn't  that  what  they  call  the 
unearned  increment  ? '' 

I  -hastened  to  interpose,  certainly  with  a  little 
malice,  — 

"  My  daughter  has  been  talking  a  good  deal 
lately  with  Socialists,  and  she  is  full  of  modern 
notions.  She  would  have  the  State  own  all  the 
railways  and  the  land  and  — 

"Papa!"   exclaimed  Margaret,  warningly. 

"Why,  that  is  dreadful!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Gregor. 
His  face  expressed  so  much  concern  that  I  almost 
laughed  aloud. 

"  Why  is  it  dreadful  ?  "  asked  Margaret. 

"That  young  people's  heads  should  be  filled 
with  anarchy,  and  menace  the  foundations  of  our 
prosperity.  If  men  are  n't  to  be  allowed  to  have 
what  they  make,  what  inducements  will  men  have 
to  work  ? " 

Margaret's  eyes  began  to  flash  ;  a  bright  color 
came  into  her  cheeks ;  her  animation  made  her 


1/4  OA'    THE 

look  simply  bewitching.  I  was  interested  to  hear 
what  she  would  say. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Gregor,"  she  said,  "  if  a  man  buys  a 
lot  of  land  in  the  wilderness,  it  is  good  for  nothing 
till  other  people  come.  It  is  the  people  who  give 
it  their  value.  Why  should  all  the  gain  belong  to 
the  original  investor  ?  " 

We  seemed  now  precipitated  into  a  regular  dis 
cussion,  in  which  the  old  conservatism  would  be 
represented  by  our  millionnaire  guest,  and  the 
modern  radicalism  by  the  maiden  of  nineteen ! 
It  would  have  been  a  pitched  battle,  I  have  no 
doubt,  for  Margaret  was  all  full  of  the  subject  from 
her  talk  with  the  two  college  youths.  15ut  1  was 
disappointed,  and  so  was  Mr.  Gregor,  who,  in  spite 
of  his  annoyance  at  finding  himself  in  a  stronghold 
of  what  he  considered  "socialism  and  anarchy," 
could  not  help  admiring  his  bright-eyed  opponent. 
Just  at  this  instant  Selma  opened  the  door  to  put 
on  the  dinner,  and  Mrs.  Merrithew  appeared. 

It  was  a  very  good  chance  for  her  to  display  her 
latent  adaptability  and  her  tact.  I  introduced  our 
visitor  to  her,  and  she  with  graceful  courtesy 
invited  him  so  cordially  to  stay  to  dinner  that  he 
yielded. 

"We  were  just  beginning  to  discuss  socialism, 
as  you  came  in/'  remarked  Mr.  Gregor,  turning  to 
his  wife,  after  we  had  taken  our  places  at  the 
table. 


ON    THE    I'OJXT.  1/5 

••  I  find  your  daughter  is  guilty  of  terrible 
economic  heresies.  She  would  despoil  us  rich 
men  of  our  property,  and  divide  it  up  among  the 
nation  at  large.  Why,  if  young  ladies  like  your 
daughter  adopt  such  theories,  we  shall  be  worse  off 
than  Russia  with  her  nihilism." 

Margaret  hastened  to  her  own  defence. 

"  Hut,  Mr.  Gregor,''  she  said,  in  her  most  persua 
sive  accents,  (how  many  times  with  them  has  she 
wheedled  me  into  doing  things  I  ought  not  to  have 
done,  or  allowing  things  I  ought  not  to  have 
allowed!)  "but,  Mr.  Gregor,  I  believe  in  individ 
ualism.  It  is  only  in  natural  monopolies  that  I  am 
a  Nationalist.  I  am  not  a  Socialist,  in  spite  of 
what  papa  says ;  much  less  do  I  believe  in  anarchy 
or  nihilism." 

Mr.  Gregor  looked  greatly  relieved  at  this  dis 
claimer.  He  was  a  man  who  did  not  always  see  a 
joke,  and  of  course  he  was  tempted  to  take  her 
too  seriously. 

Almost  immediately  after  dinner  Cranston  and 
Curtiss  came  up  to  the  house.  The  attraction  of  a 
roof  was  too  strong  for  them.  I  saw  through  their 
proffered  excuses.  Of  course  they  wanted  a  roof 
over  their  heads  ;  of  course  they  were  lonely,  and 
needed  to  be  cheered  up  !  It  was  altogether 
natural ! 

Besides,  Richard  could  not  well  go  to  see  Adele 
in  such  a  rain-storm,  and  he  wanted  to  talk  with 


1  /6  OA'    THE    rOL\T. 

some  one  who  knew  her.  It  was  all  clear  to  me! 
Hut  I  was  glad  to  see  them,  and  I  presented  them 
to  Mr.  Gregor,  who  received  them,  I  thought,  a 
little  stiffly.  I  wondered  that  lie  did  not  include 
them  in  the  invitation  for  the  next  day's  excursion. 
But  he  did  not  do  so,  and  after  sitting  for  a  few 
minutes,  scarcely  opening  his  mouth,  he  took  his 
departure. 

Just  before  sunset  the  rain  ceased,  and  the  sun 
came  out.  There  was  a  magnificent  double  rain 
bow,  that  exactly  spanned  the  bay.  The  colors 
glowed  as  though  they  had  been  made  of  living 
gems,  and  they  were  reflected  in  the  still  tossing 
waters. 

The  houses  on  the  opposite  shore  seemed  to 
have  acquired  shifting,  iridescent  coats  of  paint. 
I  never  see  a  rainbow  without  recalling  the  fine 
words  of  Jesus,  the  Son  of  Shirach  : 

'•'•Look  upon  the  rainbow  and  praise  Him  tliat  i,iade  it; 
rcry  beautiful  it  is  in  the  brightness  thereof, 

"  It  compasseth  the  lieavens  about  with  a  glorious  circle,  ami 
the  hands  of  the  A  fast  High  hare  bended  it." 

"  It  will  be  a  fine  day  to-morrow,"  I  said. 

A  man  whose  predictions  generally  eventuate 
diametrically  opposite  to  their  tenor  naturally  feels 
proud  when  for  once  he  hits  the  mark.  The  storm 
was  over.  The  night  was  clear.  How  bright  and 
near  the  stars  seemed  ! 


O.V    THE   POINT.  177 

Oh,  the  splendor  of  a  summer  night  after  a  storm 
has  cleared  the  atmosphere  ! 


And  t  lie  nighfs  mysterious  calm 


Seems  t<i  pour  a  restful  balm 


I  hummed  this  snatch  of  song  and  went  to  bed  ! 


CHAPTER   XV. 

IN  WHICH    MR.    (1RKCOR    TAK.KS    THK.    M  KRRITH  KWS   OX 
HIS    YACHT    AM)    TKLI.S    THKM    A    STORY. 

IV  socialistic  principles  prevailed,  and  men  were 
allowed  to  have  only  what  they  fairly 
earned,  and  the  wealth  of  the  country  were  distrib 
uted  with  comparative  equality,  it  is  evident  that 
such  luxuries  as  private  yachts  would  be  no  more 
known.  They  would  disappear  as  completely  as  the 
Harem  of  King  Solomon,  or  the  fifty  thousand 
"  souls"  of  Prince  Potemkin. 

There    are   many  delightful   things  becoming  ex 
tinct  in  this  century.      ( )nly  a  few  buffaloes  are  left. 


G>_V    77/7?    POIXT.  179 

The  great  auk  has  bequeathed  only  a  few  big  eggs, 
to  be  sold  at  enormous  prices  to  oologists.  The 
dodo  is  only  a  memory.  It  is  quite  within  the 
bounds  of  possibility  that  our  grandchildren  will 
read  with  wonder  of  the  magnificence  of  such  crafts 
as  the  "  Yetolka,"  representing  an  outlay  of  a  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  running  expenses  of 
a  hundred  dollars  a  day. 

A  yacht  is  not  so  picturesque  an  object  in  the 
eyes  of  a  painter  as  a  dirty  fishing-smack  or  a  lugger 
with  mildewed  sails.  It  is  too  white  or  too  black, 
and  too  shiny  and  too  spick  and  span.  But  a  swift 
yacht  is  the  perfection  of  locomotion,  —  the  great 
white  sails,  unspotted,  belly  in  the  wind ;  the  spin 
naker  is  spread,  the  top  sails  catch  the  hand  of  the 
wind  and  help  to  pull  you  along;  you  careen  at  an 
easy  angle,  you  feel  the  caress  of  the  affectionate 
waves,  —  treacherous  kisses  of  a  lion  though  they 
be  !  You  pass  heavy  laden  barks  and  know  that 
those  on  board  envy  you,  and  in  their  heart  of 
hearts  regard  your  elegant  leisure  as  a  million  times 
preferable  to  their  strenuous  toil.  You  meet  other 
yachts  whose  owners  you  may  know7  or  may  not, 
but  whom  you  salute.  The  sea  is  at  your  service, 
the  sun  shines  for  you.  A  dozen  neatly  uniformed 
sailors  act  at  your  whim. 

I  never  yet  had  my  fill  of  yachting,  and  never 
shall  have  it.  All  too  short  have  been  the  days 
that  I  have  spent  on  the  blue  waters  of  Xarragansett 


i  So  o.v  TIIJ-:  roixr. 

Bay,  or  bowling  along  the  Sound,  or  fleeting  between 
the  islands  down  the  rock-bound  shores  of  Kgge- 
moggin  Reach  or  Yinal  Haven  Thoroughfare.  I 
am  not  quite  ready  to  see  the  yacht  become  extinct, 
and  the  cost  of  her  spent  on  bread  for  the  impecuni 
ous  children  of  the  slums  ! 

A  steam-yacht  has  some  manifest  advantages  over 
a  wind-propelled  yacht.  It  is  not  liable  to  be 
becalmed.  Jt  can  drive  into  the  very  teeth  of  a 
gale.  If  the  weather  be  cold,  the  cabin  can  be 
warmed.  Other  considerations  suggest  themselves. 

I  have  no  intention  of  describing  in  detail  our  day 
on  the  "  Vetolka."  We  could  not  have  had  more 
perfect  weather.  We  first  steamed  up  the  winding 
river  ;  then  we  retraced  our  course  and  proceeded 
down  the  bay.  We  had  an  elaborate  dinner,  admi 
rably  served.  The  water  was  as  smooth  as  a  lake. 
The  sky  was  cloudless,  save  for  occasional  fleecy 
drifts  of  swiftly-vanishing  milk-white  vapor.  The 
air  was  soft  and  balmy,  but  very  clear  and  dry. 
\\*e  were  followed  for  a  time  by  a  Hock  of  white 
mackerel  gulls,  whose  sharp,  shrill  cries  came  to  us 
as  though  they  were  trying  to  talk.  Now  and  again 
they  would  settle  on  the  water  and  float  like  a  min 
iature  Meet  of  pleasure-boats.  Then  they  would  rise, 
one  by  one  or  by  dozens,  and  circle  about,  occasion 
ally  dropping  like  a  plummet,  to  emerge  a  moment 
later  with- a  glittering  fish.  Off  on  our  weather-bow 
the  surface  was  suddenly  broken  by  a  rush  of  hurry- 


ON    THE    ro/A'T.  iSl 

ing  fins  :  it  was  a  school  of  mackerel.  The  boys 
were  crazy  over  a  number  of  porpoises  that  passed 
us,  making  mighty  scallops  through  the  bay. 

Mr.  Gregor  was  very  attentive  to  Margaret.  It 
was  quite  natural  that  he  should  be.  He  was  her 
host.  He  was  likewise  most  polite  to  Mrs.  Merri- 
thew,  and  was  evidently  anxious  to  win  her  good 
opinion.  The  boys,  as  may  be  imagined,  having 
the  run  of  the  yacht,  but  cautioned  by  us  all  to  be 
very  careful  to  do  no  damage,  and  not  to  handle 
things,  and  not  to  slide  with  their  heeled  boots  on 
the  polished  floors,  and  not  to  lose  their  hats  over 
board,  and  to  be  very  respectful  to  the  sailors,  and 
not  to  ask  the  captain  too  many  questions,  enjoyed 
themselves  immensely.  It  was  their  first  experi 
ence  of  the  joys  of  a  millionnaire,  and  the  freshness 
of  their  zest  pleased  Mr.  Gregor.  They  certainly 
behaved  very  well,  and  did  themselves  credit,  and 
reflected  credit  on  our  training  of  them.  \Ye  cer 
tainly  found  it  easy  to  forgive  Magnus,  Jr.,  at 
dinner  for  passing  his  plate  and  asking  for  some 
of  the  '"warm  broth,"  meaning  the  melted  ice 
cream.  It  created  a  diversion. 

1  often  wonder  what  we  should  do  if  one  of  our 
children  suddenly  or  gradually  developed  vicious 
tendencies.  Suppose  that  which  our  ancestors 
used  to  call  "a  lying  spirit"  should  take  possession 
of  the  boy!  J!ut  my  good  friend.  Dr.  Lloyd 
Tuckey  of  London,  assures  me  that  hypnotism  is 


1 82  OAr    THE    POIXT. 

generally  effectual  in  driving  out  such  an  evil 
spirit,  and  is  no  more  harmful  than  for  a  mother  to 
rock  her  baby.  Happily,  I  have  never  detected 
any  such  symptoms  in  my  flock.  Alfred's  worst 
fault  hitherto  has  been  a  certain  Mightiness  and 
lack  of  attention ;  but  modern  science  has,  I  be 
lieve,  found  also  a  remedy  for  that,  if  ever  it 
becomes  pronounced  enough  to  be  alarming.  A 
Dr.  Guye  of  Amsterdam  has  recently  discovered 
that  it  is  the  nose  that  is  the  cause  of  aphrysexie, 
or  inattentiveness,  and  that  often  a  slight  surgical 
operation  restores  the  tone  of  the  mind,  and  makes 
mental  labor  easy.  Wonderful  is  modern  science ! 
I  have  made  a  careful  study  of  my  son's  nose,  and 
I  find  he  could  easily  spare  a  section  in  case  his 
inattentiveness  became  alarmingly  developed. 

It  is  always  a  secret  pleasure,  however,  to  have 
strangers  praise  one's  offspring,  and  to  feel  that  the 
praise  is  deserved.  And  Mr.  Gregor  more  than 
once  warmed  the  cockles  of  our  hearts  by  reference 
to  the  good  temper  and  gentlemanly  ways  of  Alfred 
and  Magnus,  Jr. 

Absolutely  nothing  occurred  to  mar  the  pleasure 
of  the  day.  No  one  fell  overboard,  no  one  was  ill ; 
sea  and  sky  seemed,  like  ourselves,  to  have  nothing 
to  do  but  be  happy.  Even  the  breeze  seemed  to 
sing  for  joy.  Who  would  have  believed  that  any 
where  in  the  world,  at  any  moment  of  that  day, 
men  and  women  were  dying  of  starvation,  that 


6>/V    THE   POINT.  183 

fathers  were  abusing  helpless  children,  that  lovers 
were  murdering  their  mistresses,  that  men  were 
fighting  for  the  possession  of'  the  bauble  wealth  ? 

Well,  there  were  the  mackerel  chasing  their  prey, 
and  there  were  the  mackerel  gulls  after  theirs  ;  and 
hark !  as  we  skirt  along  the  bold,  rocky,  pine- 
shaded  shore,  we  hear  the  sharp  crack  of  a  gun, 
and  a  Hock  of  coots  fly  up,  and  skim  away  in 
terror ;  and  just  on  the  edge  of  the  horizon  the 
bright  eyes  of  Magnus,  Jr.,  perceive  half  a  dozen 
wild  ducks  pursued  by  a  big  hawk.  So,  after  all, 
the  peacefulness  and  love  which  seem  to  radiate 
from  sky  and  water  are  as  deceptive  as  the  gentle, 
rolling,  sun-sparkling  ripples. 

Margaret,  as  usual,  was  the  life  of  the  party. 
Like  Turgenief  s  Parasha,  she  has  a  nature  keyed  to 
every  kind  of  intensity.  Should  sorrow  come  into 
her  life,  —  as  it  must  to  every  woman,  —  she  would 
suffer  keenly.  And  so,  as  a  compensation,  her  en 
joyment  was  always  almost  intoxication.  What 
glorious,  radiant  days  are  those  of  the  maiden,  fancy 
free  !  What  rosy  dreams,  perhaps  never  to  be  ful 
filled,  but  more  real  than  reality !  When  the 
unbroken  curve  of  the  unwrinkled  cheek,  and  the 
unlined,  pure  forehead  are  types  of  the  happy  soul 
within  and  the  happy  life  without! 


Anfs  I  fun  ft  dir  legen  so/If, 


So  rein  und  sclioen  mid  Jiola  I 


184  OAr    THE    POLVT. 

I  suppose  tliat  I  ought  to  try  to  record  some 
of  the  talk  that  \ve  had  on  board  the  "  Yetolka." 
Alas  !  the  bouquet  quickly  vanishes  from  the  spilled 
champagne,  and  the  light,  airy  talk,  suitable  enough 
for  a  happy  summer's  day,  scarcely  preserves  its 
flavor  when  recorded  in  cold  blood,  or,  more  accu 
rately  speaking,  cold  ink.  Delicately-turned  flip 
pancies,  fiighty  nothings,  gossamer  fancies,  that 
vanish  like  the  smoke  from  Mr.  Gregor's  fragrant 
cigars;  lightly  exploding  jests  from  the  tightly 
corked  bottles  of  paranomasia,  wasted,  alas !  on 
our  matter-of-fact  host,  and  forgotten  as  soon  as 
uttered.  More  worthy  of  record  were  the  stories 
with  which  Mr.  Gregor  regaled  us.  Many  of  them 
were  from  his  own  experiences  in  many  lands.  He 
had  been  in  India ;  he  had  sailed  along  the  eastern 
shores  of  Formosa,  where  the  cliffs  rise  sheer  from 
the  water  six  thousand  feet ;  he  had  visited  Aus 
tralia  and  New  Zealand ;  he  had  landed  on  St. 
Helena;  and,  in  spite  of  his  occasional  slips  in  pro 
nunciation  and  misuse  of  words,  we  all  felt  that  he 
told  of  his  experiences  and  related  his  stories  with 
much  vivacity. 

One  only  will  I  try  to  give  in  his  own  words. 

I  ought  to  say  this:  we  had  been  told  that  the 
Point  generally  escaped  the  infliction  of  thunder- 
showers,  and  that  there  were  no  mosquitoes  there. 
We  had  a  thunder-shower  almost  every  day ;  and 
as  for  mosquitoes,  when  the  wind  blew  from  the 


OAr    THE    rOINT.  185 

swamp  I  found  the  only  way  to  be  comfortable 
:n  knickerbockers  was  to  wrap  a  newspaper  round 
one's  legs. 

\Ve  were  on  our  homeward  way,  the  possibility 
of  a  thunder-shower  having  turned  us  about  a 
little  earlier  than  some  of  us  would  have  wished. 

We  were  talking  about  the  romance  of  life,  and 
how  frequently  one  came  upon  it  in  a  thousand 
phases.  I  remarked  that  I  had  once  met  the 
younger  son  of  an  English  earl  settled  in  a  Con 
necticut  town,  engaged  in  the  poetic  work  of 
wood-carving.  Mrs.  Merrithew  told  how  once  in 
a  Vermont  village  a  mysterious  stranger  of  evi 
dently  large  means  had  lived  a  sort  of  hermit 
existence,  and  only  when  he  had  suddenly  dis 
appeared  did  the  minister,  who  alone  knew  his 
secret,  inform  the  inquisitive  villagers  that  he 
was  a  French  marquis,  who  had  left  his  home 
forever  because  he  had  discovered  that  his  wife 
loved  his  dearest  friend. 

"  That  reminds  me,"  said  Mr.  Gregor,  "  of  a 
man  whom  I  knew  out  West.  He  once  told  me 
his  whole  history,  which  I  think  the  French  would 
call  a  "success  <r  esteem"  His  father  was  stolen 
by  the  Indians  and  carried  across  Lake  Ontario, 
where  he  was  brought  up  in  the  family  of  a  chief. 
When  he  was  twenty  years  old  he,  in  company 
with  some  of  the  other  Indians  of  his  adopted 
tribe,  came  across  the  lake  to  sell  furs.  They 


86  o.v  'i'  HI-: 


happened  to  land  at  a  village  which  had  grown 
up  only  a  few  miles  from  the  very  spot  where 
he  had  been  ravaged  away.  He  was  a  fine  young 
fellow,  tall  and  straight  as  a  pine  sapling.  As 
lie  walked  through  the  village  he  happened  to 
catch  sight  of  a  remarkably  pretty  girl  standing 
in  a  doorway.  She  was  the  village  school  -mis 
tress.  He  could  n't  speak  a  word  of  Knglish,  but 
he  managed  to  express  his  admiration  in  a  way 
that  the  girl  understood.  Then  lie  disappeared. 
About  a  year  later  he  returned  to  the  village 
a'gain  with  two  head  men  of  the  tribe.  He 
brought  with  him  a  lot  of  beautiful  furs,  went 
directly  to  the  house  where  the  girl  had  been 
seen,  and  by  means  of  the  interpreter  he  made 
known  that  he  had  come,  in  accordance  with  the 
Indian  fashion,  to  woo  the  girl.  Her  friends 
thought  it  a  capital  joke.  They  summoned  her, 
expecting  of  course  that  she  would  give  him  the 
grand  conjure.  But  not  at  all.  The  girl  had 
fallen  in  love  with  the  handsome,  dark-eyed 
stranger,  who  seemed  to  be  an  Indian,  and  yet 
seemed  unlike  an  Indian.  Finally,  it  leaked  out 
that  he  had  been  abducted,  —  that  he  was  not  really 
an  Indian  at  all.  Then  some  one  remembered  that 
a  woman  lived  four  or  five  miles  away  who  had 
lost  a  son,  stolen  by  the  Indians  twenty  years 
before.  The  gallant  suitor  went  to  see  this 
woman  and  she  recognized  him  —  " 


av  THE  POINT.  187 

"  By  the  strawberry  mark,  I  suppose,"  suggested 
Margaret. 

"  I  don't  know  how.  The  adopted  Indian 
married  the  little  school-ma'am.  She  taught  him 
English,  and  finally  he  became  the  best-read  man 
in  the  whole  place  — 

"  Mr.  Gregor,  I  did  n't  think  that  of  you ! "  I 
exclaimed. 

"  What  of  me,  think  what  of  me  ?  "  he  demanded. 

It  was  perfectly  evident  that  he  did  not  see 
his  own  accidental  joke,  and  I  knew  it  would  be 
useless  to  detain  him  by  an  elaborate  explanation 
of  that  which  was  as  plain  as  the  nose  on  his 
face,  so  I  stumbled  out  of  it  as  well  as  I  could 
and  soon  got  him  on  his  narrative  again. 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  he 
said,  "but  I  will  go  on,  if  you  like.  This  man 
much  preferred  the  frontier  to  civilization,  and  kept, 
as  it  were,  a  little  in  advance  of  it,  living  on  the 
border  as  the  border  preceded  to  the  West.  He 
had  several  children,  and  my  acquaintance  —  whom 
I  will  call  James  —  was  the  youngest  of  them. 
One  of  his  sisters  was  married  to  a  Presbyterian 
parson  in  a  town  in  Pennsylvania  where  there  was 
a  college.  James  resolved  to  attend  that  college, 
and  study  also  for  the  ministry.  He  earned 
enough  to  pay  his  expenses,  which  were  not 
much,  by  occasionally  lecturing  on  his  experi 
ences  in  the  far  West.  One  time  he  noticed 


1 88  ON    TffE   POIXT. 

in  the  audience  two  young  ladies,  who  were 
extraordinarily  handsome.  He  tried  to  find  out 
who  they  were,  but  did  not  succeed.  A  few  days 
later  a  college  friend  asked  him  to  ride  to  a 
place  a  few  miles  out  of  town  to  make  a  call. 
He  borrowed  his  brother-in-law's  horse,  which 
happened  to  be  a  fine,  fiery-blooded  beast,  not 
much  accustomed  to  the  saddle.  He  was  a  su 
perb  horseman  and  managed  it  perfectly.  When 
they  reached  the  farmhouse,  they  left  their  two 
horses  in  the  yard.  What  was  his  surprise  to 
find  at  this  place  the  two  young  ladies  whom  he 
had  seen  at  his  lecture. 

"  He  made  himself  as  agreeable  as  possible  to  the 
youngest  of  them,  who,  as  often  happens  —  not  al 
ways"-— he  added,  turning  to  Margaret,  with  a  little 
meaning  in  his  look  —  "was  the  most  beautiful  of 
the  two.  They  soon  began  to  talk  about  horses. 
The  young  ladies  were  English,  and  passionately 
fond  of  riding.  James  told  her  about  the  horse 
on  which  he  had  ridden.  She  wanted  to  go  out 
and  see  it.  He  advised  her  not  to  go  too  near, 
for  it  was  a  spirited  and  rather  ill-tempered  animal, 
and  might  bite.  But  the  young  lady  went  directly 
up  to  it,  patted  its  glossy  sides,  smoothed  its 
velvety  nostrils,  and  before  many  minutes  the 
horse  was  quite  conquered,  and  laid  its  head  on 
her  shoulder  as  docile  as  a  cosset  lamb.  Then 
she  was  crazy  to  ride  the  animal.  James  protested 


G>.V    THE   POIXT.  189 

that  no  lady  had  ever  been  on  its  back.  It  would 
run  away  with  her.  But  she  imperiously  insisted, 
and  as  is  usually  the  way  with  pretty  young  ladies," 
—  with  another  look  at  Margaret  —  "got  her  way. 
They  happened  to  have  a  side-saddle  in  the  house. 
James  with  fear  and  trembling  assisted  her  to 
mount. 

"The  moment  the  horse  felt  her  skirts  brush  its 
sides,  it  was  off  like  the  wind.  He  sprang  on  the 
other  horse  and  started  in  pursuit.  It  was  like  a 
snail  chasing  a  rabbit.  The  road  which  the  horse 
took  was  down  hill.  He  met  several  people,  and 
inquired  of  them  if  they  had  seen  the  young  lady. 
They  said  'Yes,'  but  added,  'you'll  never  see 
her  alive,  or  the  horse  either.'  At  last  he  reached 
an  open  space  and  could  see  her  still  seated  firmly; 
her  hair  had  become  unbound,  and  was  flying  out 
in  the  wind,  like  the  tail  of  a  comet.  He  spurred 
his  own  horse,  and  did  his  best  to  overtake  her. 
Suddenly,  her  horse  turned  into  a  field  which  was 
bounded  by  a  zig-zag  fence.  He  saw  that  this  was 
his  chance,  for  the  horse  ran  along  the  fence 
seeking  for  an  opening,  and  turning  the  circuit,  was 
at  last  coming  back  to  the  gate  where  it  had 
entered.  The  young  lady  was  sawing  on  the  reins. 
He  saw  that  she  had  a  streak  of  blood  on  her  face. 
It  was  where  a  twig  had  whipped  her  as  she  dashed 
down  the  hill.  James  galloped  across  the  track 
of  the  foaming  steed  and  managed  to  catch  it  by 


ON   THE   rOIXT. 

the  bridle.  Then,  with  one  supreme  effort,  he 
brought  both  horses  to  a  stand.  He  leaped  to  the 
ground  and  helped  the  young  lady  to  dismount. 

"  '  Well ! '  he  exclaimed,  '  you  are  the  bravest 
young  woman  I  ever  saw.  You  are  brave  enough 
to  be  the  wife  of  a  frontiersman.'  She  replied  that 
she  would  not  wish  a  better  lot — 

Here  he  suddenly  paused. 

"  Did  he  marry  her?  Did  he  marry  her?"  we  all 
exclaimed. 

"  Certainly  he  did,  and  she  went  with  him  down 
into  Kansas  and  out  to  Colorado,  and  in  all  sorts  of 
dangers.  She  was  the  daughter  of  some  English 
man  of  rank." 

We  came  safely  to  anchor,  firing  the  customary 
gun,  the  echoes  of  which  went  reverberating  from 
point  to  point  in  the  amphitheatre  of  hills  that 
looked  down  upon  the  bay. 

It  was  just  sunset,  another  of  those  gorgeous 
spectacles  of  which  we  had  so  many  during  the 
summer.  No  thunder-shower  occurred  ;  but,  on  the 
clouds  which  had  threatened,  the  spirit  of  departing 
day  mixed  all  his  colors  in  most  marvellous  gra 
dations,  —  tints  that  no  one  could  begin  to  name, 
changing  slowly  and  insensibly  first  to  simpler, 
more  nearly  primary  hues,  then  leaving  behind  only 
red,  yellow  and  green,  which  were  reflected  in  the 
crystal  mirror  of  the  inner  bay.  The  mountains 
stood  purple  in  all  their  Tyrian  robes  of  royalty. 


av  THE  rorxT.  191 

And  against  that  glory  of  sky,  as  we  swiftly  sped 
toward  the  wharf  in  the  yacht's  tender,  we  saw  our 
worthy  host  like  a  saint  in  a  Russian  background 
of  gold.  Alas !  I  could  only  think  of  his  excel 
lent  wig,  which  fitted  him  so  perfectly  that  till  that 
day  I  supposed  it  his  own  mane  of  whitened  locks. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SURPRISES,    LIKE    MISFORTUNES,    NEVER    COME 
SINGLY. 

THE  next  morning  I  found  myself  obliged  to 
write  several  letters.  Mrs.  Merrithew  was 
out  with  the  children.  Gwendolen  had  gone  after 
berries.  Mr.  Pettichamps  came  along  soon  after 
breakfast  and  carried  off  Margaret  for  a  ride. 
Even  Yaqoub  had  gone  to  hunt  for  field-mice  and 
birds.  I  was  therefore  quite  alone.  It  was  per 
fectly  still,  save  for  a  song-sparrow  that  poised  on 
a  shrub  and  poured  out  its  soul  in  melody. 

At  first  I  sat  in  the  hammock  on  the  piaxxa  and 
tried  to  write,  as  women  clo,  with  a  tablet  in  my  lap. 
But  it  is  only  women  who  get  any  practical  good 
out  of  their  laps.  Mrs.  Merrithew  will  sit  for  an 
hour  writing  away  for  dear  life,  and  not  once 
changing  her  position.  I  soon  found  my  back 
beginning  to  ache,  and  I  had  not  got  one  letter 
half  done.  It  is  a  queer  world  ! 

But  I  had  hardly  changed  into  a  more  comfort 
able  and  masculine  attitude  when  I  saw  Mr. 
Gregor  walking  down  the  road.  He  came  directly 
toward  me. 

"  Are  you  alone  ? "  he  asked,  and  in  answer  to 
192 


OAT   THE   POINT.  1 93 

my  affirmative  nod, —  "  I  am  very  glad.  I  want  to 
talk  with  you.  I  have  something  very  important  to 
say." 

"  I  am  entirely  at  your  service,"  I  said,  and 
offered  him  a  chair.  I  thought  very  possibly  he 
was  going  to  invite  us  to  go  on  a  cruise  in  his 
yacht.  I  was  not  so  far  from  wrong. 

"You  may  have  noticed,"  he  began,  "that  from 
the  very  first  I  have  —  I  have  —  a  —  have  —  a  — 
taken  an  unusual  —  a — shine  to  you  —  and  —  a 
—  to  your  family.  And  I  may  add  —  to  your 
daughter — to  your  daughter  especially!  I  am  no 
longer  a  young  man,  I  admit;  but  as  you  can  see, 
1  am  —  a — unusually  well-preserved.  My  friends 
and  my  family  have  come  to  regard  me  as — a  — 
as  a  confirmed  old  bachelor;  but  as  for  myself,  I 
have  always  felt  that  the  time  might  come,  —  yes, 
might  come  when  it  would  be  —  a —  be  suitable 
for  me  to  —  a  —  to  marry,  in  fact." 

I  did  not  know  what  to  say.  I  had  no  breath  to 
say  anything  with,  and  so  I  simply  looked  at  him  in 
dumb  amazement.  He  went  on  : 

"  For  the  first  time  —  I  can  really  say  so,  though 
I  have  seen  many  attractive  women  —  for  the  first 
time,  I  have  met  in  your  daughter  a  woman  who  — 
a  —  who  appeals  to  every  inner  want  of  my  nature. 
I  come  to  you,  as  it  seems  right  I  should  do  under 
the  circumstances,  to  ask  your  permission  to  —  a  — 
to  address  myself  to  her,  and  if  she  is  willing  to 


IQ4  OAr    THE   POINT. 

receive    my    attentions  —  to    ask    her    to    be    Mrs. 
Gregor.'' 

I  answered  as  I  believe  many  heroines  of  ro 
mance  do,  stammeringly,  — 

"  This  is  all  so  sudden  —  I  —  I  — 

"  I  know  I  am  old  enough  to  be  her  grandfather," 
interrupted  Mr.  Gregor,  "but  I  hope  I  am  not 
boastful  in  claiming — a  —  some  little  remains  of 
a  —  of  —  well,  you  know  what  I  mean.  I  am  not 
yet  decrepit,  and  I  have  good  reason  to  firmly 
believe  that  I  will  have  many  years  still  to  live." 

I  was  still  a  prey  to  a  certain  agitation,  but  1 
could  not  help  noticing  how  he  used  "  will"  for 
''shall."  Isn't  that  enough,  especially  when  com 
bined  with  the  split  infinitive,  to  dash  a  man's 
enthusiasm  for  a  son-in-law  almost  old  enough  to 
be  his  father? 

"  As  for  a  settlement,  I  can  give  you  the  amplest 
satisfaction.  I  can  assure  you  that  your  daughter 
shall,  in  case  she  does  me  the  honor  of  —  a — ac 
cepting  my  hand,  have  an  income  of  her  own,  and 
on  my  death,  if  it  should  event  before  hers,  which 
is  in  all  probability  likely  to  be,  a  fortune  in  her 
own  power." 

The  verse  of  Burns's  song  came  into  my  mind, 

"  What  can  a  young  lassie,  u<hat  shall  a  young  lassie, 
IVhat  can  a  young  lassie  do  TI'/'  an  auhi  man  ?  " 

I  could  not  treat  the  matter  as  a  joke.      Great 


ON   THE   POINT.  195 

heavens  !  It  was  the  most  serious  thing  that  ever 
befell  me,  far  more  serious  than  when  I,  with  my 
heart  in  my  mouth,  went  to  Katharine's  mother  and 
confessed  that  I  had  designs  on  her  daughter. 

"  This  is  a  free  country,  Mr.  Gregor ;  Margaret  is 
nineteen.  I  have  no  right  to  stand  in  the  way  of 
her  happiness.  If  you  desire  to  win  her  and  can 
do  so,  I  must  yield.  Hut  I  am  free  to  confess  that, 
flattering  as  your  preference  may  seem,  it  does  not 
appeal  to  my  better  judgment.  '  Marry  with  a 
woman  thine  equal,'  said  Pittacus,  or  some  other  old 
philosopher.  The  discrepancy  between  your  ages 
is  very  large  — 

"  After  all,"  hastened  Mr.  Gregor  to  interpose, 
"  after  all,  the  inequality  of  years  is  not  so  much  as 
the  inequality  of  natures.  I  feel  just  as  young  as 
ever  I  did.  I  am  never  sick.  I  don't  even  have  a 
headache  more  than  two  or  three  times  a  year,  and 
then  the  use  of  a  mental  inhaler  cures  it.  I  was 
gifted  with  a  splendid  constitution.  I  have  dis 
covered  that  your  daughter  and  I  have  many  things 
in  common,  many  sympathies  that  we  should  share. 
I  am  sure  that  I  could  make  her  happy.  And  if 
wealth  is  any  —  a  —  any  advantage  in  this  world,  I 
pour  all  that  I  have  out  at  her  feet." 

"  My  idea  is  that  Margaret  is  quite  too  young  to 
marry.  I  have  always  urged  that  young  women 
should  wait  till  they  were  more  mature  before  they 
hasten  to  bind  themselves  in  so  important  a  matter." 


196  o.v  TIII-:  j'OJ.YT. 

"  Allow  me  to  observe  that  your  daughter  is 
remarkably  mature  for  her  years,"  said  Mr.  Oregon 
"  I  agree  with  you,  on  general  principles,  that  it  is 
dangerous  to  marry  too  young.  I  myself  am  a 
very  good  example  of  the  theory,  carried,  perhaps, 
too  far.  The  rule  of  my  life  has  been  a  sort  of 
thirteenth  commandment,-  'Thou  shalt  not  com 
mit  thyself."  I  wish  now  I  were  forty  years 
younger,  but  it  is  not  too  late  — 

"No"  said  I,  "it  is  not  too  late.  I  have  known 
older  men  than  you  marry  young  wives."' 

"Some  of  them  were  happy,  weren't  they? 
Were  n't  they  as  happy  as  the  average  of  those 
who  marry  younger  ?  " 

"That  I  can't  answer,  Mr.  Oregon  Most  of  the 
cases  that  I  have  known  have  been  widowers. 
Old  bachelors  are  too  likely  to  have  become  settled 
in  their  own  habits;  it  is  a  great  change." 

••  Then  I  understand  that  you  have  no  objection 
to  my  addressing  your  daughter?" 

"  I  did  not  say  I  had  no  objection.  I  said  I  had 
no  right  to  interfere.  1  can't  say  that  I  approve  of 
it." 

••  You  are  very  frank.  Mr.  Merrithew." 

"Certainly  I  am  frank.  Would  n't  you  be  if  you 
were  in  my  place  ?  " 

"  Will  you  promise  not  to  try  to  influence  your 
daughter  against  me  ?  " 

That  was  a  hard  question  to  answer.      I  hesitated 


O.Y    THE    rOIXT.  197 

a  little.  "  I  will  do  what  I  consider  right,  Mr. 
Gregor.  I  will  do  nothing  rash.  I  must  talk  this 
matter  over  with  Mrs.  Merrithew.  Your  proposal 
comes  like  a  flash  from  a  cloudless  sky.  But  my 
duty  to  my  daughter  is  paramount.  On  the  other 
hand,  she  is,  as  you  say,  remarkably  mature  and 
level-headed.  I  have  absolute  confidence  in  her." 

"  Then  you  will  not  put  any  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  my  seeing  her  ?  " 

It  here  suddenly  occurred  to  me  how  little  we 
knew  of  this  millionnaire.  How  many  days  was 
it  since  his  mahogany  yacht  anchored  off  our  back 
yard  ?  Not  a  week  ?  And  here  he  was  aspiring 
to  be  my  son-in-law,  —  he,  a  man  in  the  sere  and 
withered  leaf !  He,  with  a  long  unknown  life  behind 
him  ! 

As  a  man  drowning  is  said  to  see  the  whole  of 
his  life  in  a  single  second  of  time,  so  in  that  pause 
I  seemed  to  see  a  world  of  disagreeable  possibili 
ties.  A  certain  masterfulness  in  the  man's  manner, 
an  imperiousness,  a  wilfulness,  as  of  one  not  accus 
tomed  to  be  thwarted,  caused  me  to  have  a  sudden 
vision  of  him  abducting  my  daughter  and  carrying 
her  off  on  his  yacht,  after  the  style  of  Lord  Richard 
Timple,  in  one  of  Jokai  Mor's  grewsome  tales ! 

But  1  was  roused  from  this  odd  reverie  by  Mr. 
Gregor  preparing  to  depart.  He  repeated  his  last 
question,  and  I.  suddenly  recollecting  what  I  should 
never  have  forgotten,  that  my  daughter  was  per- 


198  ar  THE 

fectly  capable  of  caring  for  her  own  heart,  replied 
that  I  was  content  to  let  things  take  their  course. 
But  I  added,  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  what  was 
the  truth,  and  also  a  little  more  than  the  truth,  — 

"  I  don't  know  how  much  longer  Miss  Merrithew 
will  remain  here ;  she  has  had  several  invitations  to 
make  visits,  and  I  believe  she  intends  to  start  very 
soon,  —  perhaps  next  week." 

She  had  certainly  received  the  invitations, —  one  a 
very  pressing  one  from  Miss  Askelon,  who  was  at 
Newport;  but  until  that  precious  moment  I  had 
rather  opposed  her  going. 

Robinson  Crusoe  was  not  more  dumbfounded  by 
the  discovery  of  the  footmark  of  the  cannibal  on 
the  sand  than  I  was  by  Mr.  Gregor's  demand. 

The  devil  was  in  it,  or  behind  it,  for  I  found  my 
self  in  a  moment  counting  up  the  advantages  of 
such  a  match,  —  the  worldly  advantages,  I  mean. 
It  might  be  a  few  years  of  gilded  slavery,  and  then 
boundless  freedom  ! 

Mr.  Gregor  had  hardly  left  me  a  prey  to  these 
conflicting  emotions  and  thoughts  when  I  heard  a 
voice  at  the  farther  end  of  the  piazza.  I  had  no 
ticed  no  one  approaching.  The  voice  said,  — 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Merrithew !  Are  you  all 
alone?  May  I  come  up?'' 

It  was  Ralf  Curtiss.  I  shook  hands  with  him. 
He  sat  down  in  the  very  seat  that  Mr.  Gregor  had 
vacated. 


ON   THE    POINT.  1 99 

"  Richard  has  gone  over  to  see  Adele.  He  's  a 
lucky  clog!  I  was  afraid  he'd  get  left,"  said  Ralf, 
in  his  easy  style  of  speech,  which,  though  slangy, 
sounded  not  undignified.  "Where  is  Miss  Merri- 
thew  ?  Gone  to  drive  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  she  went  to  the  Springs  with  Mr.  Petti- 
champs.  I  am  all  alone,  guarding  the  castle." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  find  you  all  alone,"  said 
Ralf,  a  little  nervously,  as  it  seemed  to  me.  "  I 
\vas  very  anxious  to  talk  with  you  before  I  went 
away.  We  expect  to  leave  to-morrow.  I  have 
something  very  important  to  say." 

It  struck  me  as  odd  that  he  was  using  almost  the 
identical  words  with  which  Mr.  Gregor  had  begun 
his  assault. 

"You  may  have  noticed,"  he  proceeded,  "that 
from  the  first  day  that  I  met  your  daughter,  in  such 
a  romantic  way  —  What  is  it,  .Mr.  Merrithew  ? 
Why  do  you  smile  ?  " 

"  Go  on  !  "  I  said,  "  go  on !  I  was  only  think 
ing  how  history  repeats  itself." 

I  should  like  to  know  what  he  imagined  I  meant, 
but,  after  a  moment's  pause,  he  took  up  the  thread 
of  his  sentence : 

"  You  must  have  noticed  that  I  —  a  —  have  found 
your  daughter's  society  peculiarly  agreeable.  In 
fact,  I  may  say  that  —  a — I  am  the  victim  of  love 
at  first  sight.  Of  course  I  realize  that  I  have  still 
a  whole  year  in  college,  and  then  my  way  to  make ; 


2OO  aV    THE   POINT. 

and  I  should  not  feel  justified  in  asking  Miss  Mar 
garet  to  become  engaged  to  me,  even  if  I  had  the 
slightest  idea  that  —  a  —  that  she  liked  me  well 
enough.  But  I  felt  that  it  was  no  more  than  fair 
for  me  to  come  and  ask  your  permission  to  continue 
an  acquaintance  that  has  been  so  agreeable,  which, 
in  fact,  has  —  a  —  has  packed  into  a  few  hours  all 
the  delights  of  a  long  summer.  If  I  might  feel 
that  I  had  your  sanction  in  my  aspiration,  that 
—  a  —  that  you  would  not  object  to  my  calling 
occasionally,  in  fact,  doing  all  that  I  can  to  win 
your  daughter's  love,  it  would  be  a  very  great  relief 
to  my  mind.  At  first  it  seemed  to  me  altogether 
too  audacious  a  thing  to  ask,  but  I  could  not  be 
content  to  sail  from  here  without  confessing  to 
you." 

"  My  dear  boy,"  said  I,  quite  taken,  I  confess, 
by  his  manly  straightforwardness,  and,  of  course, 
convinced  of  his  seriousness,  "  my  dear  boy, 
this  is  a  great  surprise  to  me.  Margaret  is 
only  a  girl.  Her  head  is  quite  free  from  any 
thoughts  of  marriage.  She  is  like  the  fair  vestal 
in  '  Midsummer  Night's  Dream.'  Until  her  friend, 
Adele,  unfortunately,  as  I  am  convinced,  began 
to  confide  in  her  regarding  her  —  her  love  af 
fairs,  she  looked  upon  all  such  things  as  quite 
apart  from  her  life.  She  has  often  said,  in  jest, 
that  she  was  going  to  marry  music,  and  that  her 
piano  was  a  good-enough  husband  for  her.  She  is 


GLV    THE    POINT.  2O I 

only  a  young  girl,  and  I  should  much  prefer 
that — " 

Ralf's  impatience  was  pardonable.  He  inter 
rupted  me : 

"Oh,  I  know  what  you  are  going  to  say,  Mr. 
Merrithew.  But  I  am  willing  to  wait,  if  I  may 
only  hope,  —  if  1  may  feel  assured  that  I  shall  not 
be  presumptuous.  My  father  — 

I  interrupted  him  in  my  turn : 

"  Your  father  is  a  man  for  whom  I  have  the  high 
est  respect.  I  know  of  no  one  whose  son.  if  he 
were  anyway  like  him,  I  should  prefer  to  ally  him 
self  to  my  daughter.  She  is  true  gold,  and  whoever 
is  fortunate  enough  to  win  her  will  be  indeed  a 
happy  man,  though  I  say  it,  who  shouldn't. 
Xo.  Ralf,  I  have  no  objection  to  your  keeping 
up  your  acquaintance  with  Margaret.  On  your 
own  account,  as  well  as  on  your  father's,  we  shall 
be  glad  to  see  you  whenever  you  choose  to  come. 
But,  for  heaven's  sake,  don't  attempt  to  bring 
matters  to  a  crisis  for  a  long  time  to  come ! " 

"Thank  you  very  much  for  your  encourage 
ment,"  Ralf  began. 

"  Don't  call  it  encouragement,"  I  said.  "  It  is 
simply  acquiescence  in  what  I  can't  help.  I  feel 
very  much  like  old  King  Arkel  in  Maeterlinck's 
play,  who  declares  he  never  opposes  destiny,  for 
every  human  being  must  work  out  his  own  salva 
tion.  But  here  comes  Mrs.  Merrithew.  She 


2O2  6LV    THE   POJXT. 

will  like  to  have  you  stay  to  dinner.  Margaret 
will  be  back  before  very  long.  You  had  better 
wait." 

Mrs.  Merrithew  seconded  my  invitation.  A  few 
minutes  later  Margaret  came  back,  bringing  the 
mail.  Unsuspicious  of  the  double  plot  forming 
against  her,  she  was  perfectly  frank  and  free  in  her 
expressions  of  pleasure  at  seeing  young  Curtiss, 
and  she  told  with  pleasant  enthusiasm  of  the  day 
spent  on  the  "  Yetolka." 

"  It  is  a  beautiful  yacht.  I  wish  papa  had  one 
like  it,"  she  remarked.  I  said  to  myself,  "  It  all 
depends  on  you  whether  he  does  !  " 

After  dinner  Margaret  took  Curtiss  over  to  a 
neighboring  cottage,  where  she  had  been  invited 
to  play  croquet.  I  sent  the  boys  off  for  some  more 
driftwood,  as  our  supply  was  running  low,  and  the 
wind  of  the  recent  storm  had  piled  a  fresh,  or  more 
properly  a  salt,  supply  all  along  the  shore.  Gwendolen 
took  the  two  younger  children  up  the  hill  to  the 
Chamfrays  to  see  the  chickens.  This  gave  me 
a  favorable  opportunity  to  talk  with  Mrs.  Merrithew. 

"  This  has  been  a  very  eventful  morning,  my 
dear,"  I  began. 

"  Eventful !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Why,  what  has 
happened  ? " 

"  There  were  two  men  here  after  Margaret." 

"  After  Margaret  ?  " 

"Yes." 


OA'    THE    POIXT.  2O3 

"  What  did  they  want  of  Margaret  ?  Do  tell  me 
—  don't  keep  me  on  the  tenter-hooks  any  longer!" 

"They  both  want  to  marry  her." 

"  Marry  Margaret !  Was  one  of  them  that 
miserable  Gregor  ? " 

I   nodded. 

"  I  knew  there  was  something  wrong  about 
that  man  from  the  moment  I  laid  my  eyes  on 
him." 

"  But  Katharine,  my  love,  he  was  very  honor 
able  about  it.  He  came  and  asked  my  permission 
to  —  to  —  " 

"  Asked  your  permission,  did  he  ?  That  was 
thoughtful  of  him  !  And  what  did  you  say  ? " 

"  I  told  him  in  the  words  of  Shakespeare, 
'  Crabbed  youth  and  age  '  - 

"  Now,  Magnus,"  said  my  wife,  severely,  "  this 
is  too  serious  a  matter  to  make  light  of." 

"  I  know  it  is.  But  what  could  a  man  do  ?  Mr. 
Gregor  is  a  person  of  wealth.  He  offers  to  make 
a  handsome  settlement  on  Margaret  if  he  succeeds 
in  securing  her  hand.  I  know  nothing  against 
him  except  his  age  and  his  heterophemies.  Mar 
garet  might  make  him  very  happy  !  " 

"  Margaret  make  him  very  happy !  Mr.  Merri- 
thew,  I  have  no  patience  with  you.  If  Margaret 
married  that  man,  everyone  would  say  that  we 
had  sold  her,  and  they  would  say  right." 

"  I  told  him  it  was  a  free  country,  and  if  Margaret 


204  o.v  'J'tik  roixr. 

chose  to  accept  him  for  her  husband,  I  should 
have  nothing  to  say  against  it.  I  put  it  to  you 
squarely:  Isn't  Margaret  old  enough  and  mature 
enough  to  decide  such  a  question  for  herself  ?  " 

Mrs.  Merrithew  did   not  answer  that  question. 

"  But  who  was  the  other  man  ? "  said  she. 
"You  said  there  were  two.'' 

"  Guess  !  " 

I  don't  know  whether  I  have  mentioned  that 
Farmer  Bigg  had  an  only  son,  —  a  tall,  lean,  lank, 
cadaverous,  lantern-jawed,  dull-eyed  specimen  of 
rustic  chivalry.  He  had  sometimes  brought  us 
country  produce  for  his  father,  and  Mrs.  Merri 
thew  had  several  times  remarked  in  jest  that 
she  believed  that  Jedediah  was  smitten  with 
Margaret.  He  always  stared  at  her  with  open 
mouth  as  if  he  were  ready  to  devour  her. 

"  You  don't  mean  Jedediah   Bigg !  "  she  gasped. 

'•  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  I.  "  He  would  not  have 
known  enough  to  speak  to  me.  I  agree  with  you, 
though  he  has  been  hanging  round  here  a  good 
deal  lately.  But  of  course,"  I  added,  with  a  sud 
den  flash  of  intuition,  "  he  is  after  Cassandra. 
I  never  thought  of  that  before." 

"  How  absurd  you  are  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Merri 
thew. 

"You  are  always  calling  me  absurd,"  I  retorted. 

"Then,  of  course,  it  must  have  been  Ralf  Cur- 
tiss,"  said  Mrs.  Merrithew,  ignoring  my  aggrieved 
tone. 


ON    THE   POINT.  2O5 

"  Well,  what  did  you  say  to  him  ?  " 

''  I  asked  him  to  stay  to  dinner." 

"Well,  I  tell  you  what,''  pursued  Mrs.  Merrithew, 
"  this  place  is  getting  quite  too  dangerous.  Mar 
garet  must  go  right  away." 

-Where?" 

"  Well,  she  has  several  invitations.  Let  her  go 
to  Newport,  to  Miss  Askelon." 

"  That  is  just  exactly  what  I  was  thinking,  and  I 
told  Mr.  Gregor  that  she  was  likely  to  leave  here 
in  a  day  or  two." 

"  But  did  you  really  give  young  Curtiss  any 
encouragement  ?  " 

"Not  a  bit,  that  is  to  say,  not  much.  I  told  him 
I  respected  his  father,  and  was  willing  to  have  him 
continue  his  acquaintance  with  Margaret,  but  not 
to  speak  of  marriage  for  a  long  time  to  come. 
Wasn't  that  right  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so.  But  daughters  are  a  ter 
rible  responsibility.  Children  are,  anyway !  Still, 
I  had  a  hundred  times  rather  she  married  Curtiss 
than  your  friend  of  the  yacht, —  purse-proud, 
conceited  — 

'•  That 's  natural  enough,  my  love.  If  she  mar 
ried  Gregor,  you  would  have  a  son-in-law  old 
enough  to  be  your  father,  and  you  could  not 
exercise  the  prerogative  of  your  sex.  I  have 
often  wished  I  were  older  than  your  mother." 

"That  wouldn't  make  any  difference  — 


2O6  O.V    THE    POIXT. 

"  No,"  said  I,  purposely  misunderstanding  her. 
"  No,  I  don't  believe  it  would." 

"  Magnus ! " 

"There  is  another  thing,''  I  said,  willing  to 
change  the  subject,  which  was  approaching  danger 
ously  near  the  point  of  precipitation  ;  "  it  is  quite 
important,  but  I  really  forgot  it  amid  the  exciting 
events  of  the  morning.  I  Ye  got  to  go  back  home." 
And  I  tossed  the  letter  into  Katharine's  lap. 

"  Then  I  shall  go  back,  too ! "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Merrithew. 

"What!  and  take  the  baby  to  the  city  in 
August?  You  are  crazy." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  be  left  down  here  all 
alone." 

"You  won't  be  all  alone.  Besides,  if  you  think 
best,  you  can  keep  Margaret." 

"No,  no!  she  must  go.  She  can  go  along  with 
you.  Certainly,  when  I  come  to  think  of  it,  I 
couldn't  take  the  children  back.  They  would  be 
sick.  I  suppose  I  can  manage  to  get  along,  but  it 
will  be  dreadfully  lonely." 

"  You  will  have  Yaqoub  !  " 

"  Magnus,  you  have  no  heart." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  have,  and  it  is  frequently  in  my 
mouth  !  "  said  I,  thinking  of  the  perils  that  haunt  a 
sensitive  nature  like  mine. 

Now  I  really  did  not  mean  to  be  or  seem  heart 
less,  but  I  suppose  it  may  have  sounded  so.  I  felt 


o.v  TUP:  roixr.  207 

the  whole  thing  very  deeply,  but  it  is  my  practice 
to  hide  such  feelings,  and  to  cover  them  with  a 
superficial  mask  which  often  deceives  my  own 
wife.  I  saw  that  I  was  carrying  the  flippant  too 
far,  and  I  added,  in  earnest,  — 

"  Really,  dear,  I  shall  be  awfully  sorry  to  leave 
you  here.  But  I  think  that  I  ought  to  return  in 
response  to  that  letter.  It  will  be  for  only  a  few 
weeks.  If  I  don't  come  down  for  you  I  will  meet 
you  at  the  wharf,  even  if  the  boat  gets  in  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  on  board  there  is 
nothing  that  I  could  do  especially  that  the  stew 
ardess  can't  do  for  you.  As  for  Margaret,  if  you 
think  it  best  for  her  to  go  to  visit  Miss  Askelon,  this 
sudden  return  of  mine  seems  to  favor  that  plan." 

I  could  n't  help  adding,  however,  "  I  have  no 
doubt  Mr.  Gregor  would  be  glad  to  take  us  home  in 
his  yacht !  It  would  be  just  what  he  would  like. 
Perhaps  I  had  better  ask  him.  It  would  be  a  great 
saving! " 

Mrs.  Merrithew  gave  me  a  look  that  went 
through  the  marrow  of  my  bones.  She  might  have 
known  that  I  was  n't  serious.  I  remembered  an 
equally  flippant  remark  of  her  own  only  a  few  days 
before.  But  a  man  cannot  expect  absolute  con 
sistency  in  any  woman.  I  affected  to  look  very 
innocent,  and  then  she  perceived  that  there  was  no 
immediate  danger  of  such  an  overture. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

MAN    PROPOSES. 

SEVERAL  of  the  letters  thnt  I  had  received 
during  the  summer  were  not  calculated  to 
make  me  feel  comfortable.  Some  of  them  I  did  not 
even  open,  knowing  by  the  looks  of  them  that  they 
contained  bills  and  were  merely  duplicates.  Now, 
duplicates  are  not  especially  interesting, —  unless  to 
collectors.  Once  when  several  of  these  unpleasant 
documents  arrived  in  the  same  mail,  I  tried  to  write 
a  parody  on  Foe's  "Bells.1'  It  began  thus: 

Here  V  the  dunning  of  the  bills, 
Tradesmen's  bills  ! 

208 


av  THE  POIXT.  209 

What  a  world  of  wretchedness  their  poisonous  sting  distils  ! 

How  they  chase  away  delight 

From  the  impecunious  wight ! 

Ifow  they  goad  him  with  misfortune  ! 

How  the  cursed  things  importune,  — 

//<w  they  han /it  him  day  and  night ! — 

As  he  sleeps  and  as  he  wakes, 

Like  a  host  of  winged  snakes  - 

Filling  all  his  dreams  with  omens  of  exaggerated  ills  ! 

Oh,  the  bills,  bills,  bills  ! 

Oh,  the  sharp,  relentless  bills,  bills,  bills,  bills,  bills  ! 

If  only  some  of  my  literary  argosies  would  come 
sailing  home,  —  or,  more  accurately,  if  they  only 
would  n't  have  come  sailing  home !  But  they 
seemed  all  scattered  by  the  tempests  of  Fate. 
There  were  a  dozen  possibilities.  A  fair  return  on 
any  one  of  them  would  enable  me  to  pay  up  all 
that  T  owed.  For  twenty  years  I  had  been  en 
gaged  in  this  discouraging,  unremunerative  traffic 
with  fortune.  My  comedies  and  tragedies  lay  for 
months  in  the  safes  of  theatrical  managers  before 
they  were  even  read.  In  many  cases  I  was  certain 
that  they  were  returned  unread.  More  than  once 
I  was  certain  that  the  brilliant  ideas  I  had  em 
bodied  in  some  scene  were  stolen  and  transferred 
by  an  unscrupulous  manager  to  some  other  play. 
1  recognized  them  on  the  stage.  Did  n't  Shakes 
peare,  when  manager  of  the  Globe,  probably  do 
such  things?  I  trow  he  did.  I  had  tried  my  hand 
at  all  sorts  of  work.  I  had  written  a  number  of 


2IO  OAr    THE 

short  stories.  They  went  flying  about  from  maga 
zine  to  magazine,  consuming  more  money  in  post 
age  stamps  than  they  ever  brought  me.  Here, 
again,  I  sometimes  was  abused ;  for  even  when  I 
enclosed  full  return  postage,  it  happened  that  only 
one  stamp  would  be  put  on.  My  poems  were  a 
drug  in  the  market.  Occasionally,  one  would  be 
accepted,  but  as  they  were  even  then  kept  among 
the  precious  arcana  of .  the  magazine,  as  if  too 
valuable  to  be  exposed  to  the  light  of  day,  I  got 
little  good  from  them,  especially  from  those  meaner 
magazines  that  pay  for  their  contributions  only 
when  they  print  them.  And  I  have  no  doubt  that 
dozens  of  these  effusions  are  still  awaiting  their  last 
trump  to  be  resurrected. 

My  delight  may  be  imagined,  therefore,  on  that 
memorable  day  when  Fate  threw  so  many  would-be 
sons-in-law  at  my  head,  at  receiving  word  that 
the  libretto  of  a  comic  opera  that  I  had  offered  a 
certain  hnpressario  was  accepted,  that  it  had  been 
already  set  to  music,  and  was  to  be  immediately 
rehearsed  and  staged.  I  was  needed,  that  I  should 
make  a  few  changes,  and  could  I  be  on  hand  early 
the  next  week  ? 

Mrs.  Merrithew,  who  was  even  more  sanguine  by 
nature  than  I  was,  but  was  more  deeply  dis 
couraged  at  my  lack  of  success,  was  now  unduly 
elated.  She  predicted  that  this  was  to  be  a 
''  change  of  luck." 


ON   THE   POINT.  2  I  I 

"  I  should  not  be  surprised,"  said  she,  "  if  you 
should  have  quite  a  run  of  good  fortune." 

I  was  perfectly  willing  to  hope  so.  The  present 
dividend  of  luck  was  not  to  be  despised.  It  was 
worth  going  home  for,  even  though  1  had  to  forego 
the  pleasures  and  physical  advantages  of  a  longer 
sojourn  at  the  sea-shore.  But  the  fact  that  the 
coming  weeks  would  be  without  the  presence  of 
Margaret  went  a  long  way  toward  reconciling  me 
to  a  premature  return. 

I  had  just  finished  my  reply  to  the  invitation 
from  the  impressario,  and  was  sitting  on  the  piazza 
making  a  sort  of  windmill  of  the  envelope  between 
my  two  thumbs,  and  wondering  how  I  could  get  it 
to  the  post  in  time  for  the  early  morning  mail,  when 
I  noticed  Ralf  rather  hurriedly  stalking  by  the 
house  on  his  way  to  his  camp.  I  wondered  why 
he  did  not  stop.  It  struck  me  as  strange  that 
Margaret  was  not  with  him.  Half  an  hour  later 
the  girl  herself  came  flying  down  the  road.  Her 
cheeks  were  on  fire.  Her  eyes  were  flashing.  She 
did  not  stop  to  say  a  word  to  me  except  to  ask  as 
she  passed  into  the  house,  "  Where  's  mamma  ?  '' 

Something  unusual  had  happened.  My  imagina 
tion  began  to  conjure  up  all  sorts  of  scenes.  I 
have  really  a  dramatic  sense,  and  I  got  quite 
excited  in  working  out  various  theatrical  possibili 
ties.  I  felt  a  little  piqued,  also,  that  Margaret  went 
directly  to  her  mother,  instead  of  confiding  to  my 


212  O.Y    THE   POINT. 

ear  the  unusual  experience  which  she  must  have 
just  passed  through. 

Women  are  such  unaccountable  beings.  You 
think  you  know  them,  and  you  find  that  they 
are  inscrutable.  Proteus,  the  old  man  of  the  sea, 
is  nothing  to  them  for  variableness.  I  found 
myself  humming  "Donna  c  mobile."' 

It  was  a  question  whether  it  would  have  been  a 
good  plan  to  warn  Margaret  of  the  web  the  spiders 
were  spinning.  Hut  we  did  not  have  the  chance. 
She  went  to  play  croquet,  and  this  was  what  hap 
pened  : 

The  croquet-ground  was  next  to  the  road.  It 
was  fairly  well  rolled,  unshaded  by  a  tree  (which 
was  of  little  importance  in  that  cool  atmosphere), 
and  commanded  a  charming  view.  If  the  players 
got  tired,  or  were  disgusted  at  seeing  themselves 
knocked  out  of  position,  they  had  the  privilege  of 
looking  out  on  the  sparkling  bay,  or  watching  the 
mirage,  or  waving  their  handkerchiefs  to  some  pass 
ing  steamboat. 

Croquet  is  a  touchstone  of  temper.  The  testi 
mony  of  one  set  of  eyes  is  so  apt  to  be  at  variance 
with  that  of  another  set !  A  man  dislikes,  above  all 
things,  to  have  his  senses  distrusted  ;  it  is  almost 
equivalent  to  a  slap  in  the  face  to  be  told  that 
he  did  not  see  correctly.  Did  a  ball  hit,  or  did 
it  miss  by  a  hair's  breadth  ?  I  )icl  it  scrape 
through  the  wicket  or  <ro  to  one  side  ?  Such 


UA'  7 '//A  ro/NT.  213 

questions  are  constantly  rising,  and  the  ill  feelings 
that  they  engender  are  accountable,  I  am  convinced, 
for  the  comparative  desuetude  of  croquet,  which 
otherwise  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  out-of-doors 
games. 

I  myself  had  not  played  before  for  years,  but 
during  the  last  week  or  two  all  of  us  had  enjoyed  a 
revival  of  the  game.  Margaret  had  developed  con 
siderable  skill  at  it. 

That  afternoon  they  had  a  four-hand  game. 
Margaret  played  with  Ralf,  who  was  pretty  rusty 
and  made  some  vexatious  mistakes,  so  that  the 
other  side  won  game  after  game.  Margaret  did  not 
like  it,  but  she  tried  to  be  good-natured.  Even 
when  she  hit  her  ball  for  a  wicket,  and  the  wicket, 
being  insecurely  placed,  flew  round  on  one  leg,  and 
the  other  side  declared  she  did  not  go  through, 
while  she  was  sure  that  she  did,  she  had  the  good 
grace  to  yield,  though  it  cost  her  an  effort. 

About  that  time  Mr.  Gregor  came  along  and 
stopped  in  the  road  to  watch  the  game.  I  have 
said  that  he  was  a  masterful  man ;  he  was  also 
a  man  of  resources.  It  took  him  only  an  in 
stant  to  see  that  Margaret  was  not  pleased  with 
the  proceedings. 

"  Miss  Merrithew,"  he  said,  rather  suddenly,  "  if, 
when  you  are  through  playing,  I  may  have  a  word 
with  you.  1  will  be  much  obliged.'' 

Margaret,    unsuspicious,    replied   she   would   join 


214  °-v    TIIE    POINT. 

him  as  soon  as  they  finished  that  game.  She  was 
only  too  glad  to  have  an  excuse  to  stop  playing. 

The  game  was  played  in  a  few  minutes.  Ralf, 
naturally  feeling  a  little  piqued,  excused  himself  on 
the  ground  that  Cranston  would  be  back,  strode 
off  to  the  camp,  feeling,  I  have  no  doubt,  that  it 
was  a  very  miserable  world. 

Margaret  joined  Mr.  Gregor,  who  asked  her  if 
she  would  walk  with  him  up  toward  the  lighthouse. 

"•  Have  you  been  up  in  the  lighthouse  yet  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  No,"  replied  Margaret.  "  It  has  been  right  at 
hand  all  summer  and  —  and  — 

"  Let  us  go  and  see  it." 

Mr.  Gregor  got  the  key  from  the  lighthouse- 
keeper's  wife  and  they  entered  the  tower.  Every 
thing  about  the  premises  was  scrupulously  neat. 
The  buildings  were  all  painted  white.  Whatever 
fault  that  official  may  have  displayed  as  a  champion 
croaker,  he  certainly  performed  his  duties  faith 
fully. 

Mr.  Gregor  told  Margaret  a  good  many  interest 
ing  things  about  foreign  lighthouses  that  he  had 
seen,  and  he  waxed  eloquent  over  the  electric  lights 
that  were  now  used  on  many  exposed  points. 

"  This,"  said  he,  "  is  only  a  third-class  light,  but 
see  how  bright  the  brass  and  glass  are  kept.  And 
is  n't  this  a  superb  view  ?  " 

They   were   alone   in   the   lighthouse   tower,   and 


ON    THE   POINT.  215 

not  liable  to  interruption,  or  at  least  where  they 
stood  they  could  see  the  approach  of  any  person. 

Suddenly  Mr.  Gregor,  in  a  perfectly  quiet  tone, 
said,  — 

"  Miss  Merrithew,  do  I  seem  to  you  a  very  old 
man  ? " 

"  Why,  no,  Mr.  Gregor.  Why  do  you  ask  me 
such  a  question  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  simply  wanted  your  opinion.  I  have 
been  meditating  upon  a  very  important  step,  and 
—  a  —  and  I  did  not  want  to  be  considered  ridic 
ulous." 

"  Ridiculous  ? " 

"  Yes,  when  a  man  is  very  old,  or  seems  very 
old,  such  a  step  as  I  propose  taking  is  generally 
regarded  as  ridiculous." 

FA' en  then  Margaret  had  not  the  slightest  inkling 
of  what  was  coming  next.  She  waited  inquiringly. 

"Should  you  think  I  was  too  old  to  —  to  be 
married  ? " 

"  Really,  Mr.  Gregor,  how  could  I  answer  such  a 
question  ? " 

"  Well,  then,"  he  went  on,  a  little  more  hurriedly, 
"  I  will  speak  more  to  the  point.  I  am  not  such 
a  very  old-appearing  man,  you  say.  I  have  lived 
so  far,  and  I  have  until  within  less  than  a  week, 
I  -suppose,  expected  with  good  reason  to  finish 
my  days  as — as — a  —  as  an  old  bachelor.  But 
from  the  moment  that  I  saw  you  that  first  day, 


2l6  OAr   THE   POINT. 

walking  with  your  family,  I  felt  that,  late  as  it 
was,  I  had  met  my  fate.  Do  wait  a  moment  —  let 
me  speak  —  I  have  your  father's  permission." 

Margaret  must  have  turned  pale.  She  clung  to 
the  brass  work  of  the  lamp,  but  Mr.  Gregor  stood 
between  her  and  the  stairs.  He  compelled  her  to 
hear  him  out. 

"  Your  father  said  you  were  old  enough  to  know 
your  own  mind,  and  mature  enough  to  decide  such 
a  question  yourself.  I  have  stayed  here  at  the 
Point  day  after  day  with  the  sole  and  only  idea 
of  seeing  you  as  often  as  I  could.  It  was  for 
that  purpose  that  I  took  you  to  sail.  And  every 
time  that  I  have  seen  you  I  have  felt  renewed  in 
my  determination  to  lay  at  your  feet  all  that  I 
have  and  all  that  I  am  — 

"But,  Mr.  Gregor  — 

"  I  know  exactly  what  you  think.  Of  course 
this  comes  upon  you  suddenly,  and  I  am  in  no 
absolute  haste  for  an  answer.  Indeed,  I  could  not 
expect  it.  I  cannot  help  feeling,  however,  that  you 
and  I  have  not  a  few  mutual  tastes  and  sympathies. 
There  is  nothing  that  I  would  not  do  for  you.  We 
would  go  abroad  if  you  wished.  Now,  my  dear 
young  lady,  think  it  over.  I  meant  to  have 
told  your  father  that  my  yacht  is  quite  at  his 
disposal  if  he  would  like  to  take  a  three  or  four- 
days'  excursion.  I  forgot  to  tell  him.  Perhaps 
in  a  little  longer  acquaintance,  under  such  intimate 


<9.V    THE    POIXT.  21  J 

conditions  as  are  —  a — you  might  come  to  regard 
this  offer  of  my  heart  as  not  at  all  unworthy  of 
your  consideration.  1  do  not  wish  to  add  as  a 
further  inducement  what  is  merely  an  accident 
the  fact  that  I  should  settle  on  you  immediately 
a  handsome  annual  allowance,  and  in  case  I  died 
first  —  no,  please  let  me  finish!  —  in  case  I  died 
first  I  should  leave  you  absolute  mistress  of  what 
is  not  a  small  fortune.  All  this  is  merely  acci 
dental  "  (he  probably  meant  to  say  incidental  or 
accessory).  "But  the  main  thing  is  that  I,  who 
have  lived  all  my  life  alone,  have  fallen  in  love 
with  you  like  a  boy.  It  was  love  at  first  sight. 
Miss  Merrithew,  I  love  you." 

Xow,  at  first  thought,  there  is  something  ridicu 
lous  in  the  picture  of  an  old,  white-wigged  man, 
witli  one  or  two,  if  not  more,  false  teeth,  and  a 
certain  rotundity  of  stomach,  and  a  short  nose, 
taking  a  young  girl  of  nineteen  up  into  the  tower  of 
a  lighthouse,  and  "  popping  the  question.''  There 
is  also  an  element  of  pathos  in  it.  The  love,  on 
the  old  man's  part,  may  be  perfectly  genuine,  as 
genuine  as  the  boy-love  of  a  Byron  for  a  woman 
older  than  himself.  But  reciprocity  is  so  hopeless ! 
A  bright  maiden  might  well  come  to  respect  her 
aged  suitor,  might  even  be  tempted  by  the  glamor 
of  his  riches.  But  love  —  ? 

Mr.  Gregor  was  no  fool,  and  his  proposal,  sudden 
and  unexpected  as  it  was,  was  cleverly  managed. 


21  8  ON   THE    POIXT. 

If  Margaret  was  at  first  startled,  and  wanted  to  run 
from  him,  his  calmness,  his  reasonable  discourse, 
allowed  her  time  to  recover  her  self-possession. 
She  felt  the  man's  dignity ;  she  appreciated  the 
compliment  that  he  was  paying  her.  She  collected 
her  thoughts  and  answered  him : 

"Mr.  Gregor — I  —  I  —  wish  I  might  give  you 
such  an  answer  as  would  satisfy  you.  I  really 
can't  tell—  Just  now,  nothing  seems  more  impos 
sible  than  for  me  to  say  '  Yes '  to  your  —  your  offer 
of  marriage  — 

"  I  could  hardly  expect  that  you  would,"  inter 
posed  Mr.  Gregor.  "Only  don't  decide  hastily. 
Don't  say  '  Xo,'  without  further  thought.  1  will 
wait.  Let  me  hope  that  you  will  not  object  to  my 
seeing  you  later  —  this  fall  —  some  time  again. 
Let  me  show  you  how  much  I  adore  you." 

"  I  could  never  think  of  marrying  without  loving 
the  man  whom  I  married,"  said  Margaret. 

"  Hut  is  it  impossible  that  you  should  ever  learn 
to  love  me  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Gregor. 

She  looked  at  him  as  he  stood  there,  in  the  fierce 
light  of  that  glass-surrounded  tower.  The  cloud 
less  sky  was  dazzlingly  blue.  At  their  very  feet, 
twenty  fathoms  below,  the  rising  tide  swirled  in  a 
diamond-flashing  tide-rip.  The  bay  spread  out  in 
a  gay  panorama  of  dancing  waters.  Against  that 
sky  and  that  expanse  of  brilliant  sea  stood  the 
millionnaire,  calm,  confident,  yet  earnest,  —  the 


aV    THE   POIXT.  219 

most  trying  environment  that  he  could  have 
chosen.  It  showed  him  at  his  best  and  at  his 
worst. 

"  I  hardly  know  you,  Mr.  Gregor,  —  we  have 
been  acquainted  so  short  a  time.  I  cannot  tell 
whether  it  is  impossible  or  not." 

"  Will  you  answer  my  letters?  " 

"  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should  not  answer  them, 
Mr.  Gregor  —  if,  as  you  say,  you  have  spoken 
to  my  father." 

"  My  dear  Miss  Margaret,  I  thank  you  for  your 
most  reasonable  treatment  of  my  —  a  —  my  pro 
posal.  Not  every  young  lady  would  have  been  so 
—  a  —  so  sensible.  It  only  confirms  me  in  my 
high  opinion  of  your  character,  and  increases  my 
admiration  of  you.  \Ye  will  now  go  down,  if  you 
please.  Your  father  tells  me  you  are  going  away 
to  make  some  visits.  1  will  see  you  before  you 
leave." 

It  was  news  to  Margaret  that  she  was  going  away 
to  make  visits,  as  it  had  been  decided  at  last  ac 
counts  that  she  was  not  to  go. 

Mr.  Gregor  took  leave  of  her  as  soon  as  they 
quitted  the  lighthouse.  He  went  to  his  yacht ; 
she  hastened  to  the  cottage,  and,  as  I  said,  passed 
me  with  flaming  cheeks  and  flashing  eyes. 

It  was  through  Mrs.  Merrithew  that  I  learned  the 
details  of  her  first  proposal. 

Such    an    experience,    more   than    anything    else, 


22O  av  THE 

perhaps,  gives  a  woman  full  knowledge  of  her  latent 
powers.  It  is  after  the  gosling  has  once,  though 
by  instinct,  taken  to  the  water,  that  she  sits  in 
proud  consciousness  of  her  grace  and  fitness.  So 
long  as  she  only  waddles  awkwardly  on  the  land, 
her  webbed  feet  are  but  apparent  examples  of  mis 
placed  generosity. 

Margaret  had,  as  it  were,  pushed  out  from  the 
shore.  She  was  to  sail  henceforth  responsible  only 
to  the  dictates  of  her  own  nature.  She  was  a 
woman.  It  was  evident  in  every  act,  in  every  mo 
tion,  in  every  turn  of  speech. 

Kven  the  children  were  conscious  of  t'lis  change 
in  their  sister.  Alfred  asked  the  very  next  morn 
ing.  - 

"  Say,  mamma,  what 's  the  matter  with  Margaret  ? 
She  is  n't  like  a  girl  any  more.'' 

To  me  she  said  nothing  about  Mr.  Gregor's 
offer.  The  fact  that  he  had  already  spoken  to  me 
seemed  to  raise  a  barrier  between  us.  All  I  had  to 
do  was  to  wait  and  see  how  it  would  end.  It  was 
evident  that  she  was  not  to  decide  the  question  as  I 
supposed  she  would,  —  at  a  word.  Not  even  the 
man's  occasional  slips  in  grammar  and  pronuncia 
tion,  or  his  involuntary  pomposities,  —  that  which 
made  Mrs.  Merrithew  think  him  purse-proud,— 
caused  him  to  seem  absurd  in  her  eyes.  Jf  he  had 
been  ridiculous  in  his  wooing  it  would  have  been  all 
over  with  it;  she  would  have  decided  in  a  moment. 


OA'    THE   rOIA'T.  221 

I  am  not  certain  what  it  was  in  the  man  that 
attracted  her  to  him.  Perhaps  it  was  his  gener 
osity.  1  afterwards  learned  through  a  distant 
kinsman  of  his,  that  he  was  really  munificent  in  his 
benefactions ;  but  it  was  all  done  quietly,  —  as  it 
were,  on  the  sly.  No ;  Mrs.  Merrithew  was  quite 
unjust  in  calling  Mr.  Gregor  purse-proud.  She 
afterwards  came  to  acknowledge  her  mistake. 

If- 

But  I  must  not  anticipate. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IN    WHICH    MR.    MERRITHEW    TRIES    TO    CAP    THE 
CLIMAX    AND    FAILS. 

EARLY  the  next  day  our  young  college  friends 
broke  camp.  They  came  up  to  say  good-bye 
and  to  thank  us  for  our  hospitalities.  Jf  Ralf  had 
desired  to  give  way  to  the  impulse  of  the  quite 
justifiable  sentimentality  that  I  am  sure  oppressed 
him,  he  had  no  chance  to  do  so.  I  well  knew  how 
he  felt,  but  Margaret  had  not  a  suspicion  that  he 
had  gone  so  far  as  to  talk  with  me. 

It  was  all  like  a  comedy. 

We  had  not  yet  decided  what  boat  we  should  go 


GLV    THE   POIXT.  223 

up  on,  and  so  nothing  was  said  of  our  prospective 
departure.  \Ve  simply  told  our  young  friends  that 
\ve  should  hope  to  see  them  again,  that  our  house 
was  always  open  to  them,  and  that  we  should  prize 
their  acquaintance.  We  walked  down  to  the  shore 
and  saw  them  embark.  Richard  was  beaming  with 
happiness  and  hope ;  Ralf  looked  sad  and  forlorn. 
Their  paddles  flashed  in  the  sunlight ;  they  shouted 
their  last  adieus,  and  quickly  vanished  from  sight. 

In  a  certain  sense  it  was  off  with  the  young  love 
and  on  with  the  old.  When  we  got  back  to  the 
house,  Mr.  Gregor  was  there.  I  say  "we,"  but  not 
Margaret.  She  wanted  to  be  alone,  and  she  took 
the  boat  and  went  out  for  a  row.  She  shouted  to 
me, — "I  may  go  over  to  see  Aclele."  It  was  a  long 
pull  for  her,  but  she  was  capable  of  it,  and  the  tide 
was  favorable. 

Mr.  Gregor  was  disappointed  not  to  see  her, 
though  he  did  not  ask  for  her.  He  said  that  he 
came  to  propose  the  longer  cruise  in  his  yacht.  We 
might  be  gone  four  or  five  days,  or  a  week.  Of 
course  this  was  impossible.  I  explained  to  him 
that  a  sudden  engagement  called  me  back  to  the 
city. 

"  I  will  take  you  there,"  he  said;  "do  it  just  as 
well  as  not  Miss  Merrithew  I  suppose  is  going  at 
the  same  time.  Now,  Mrs.  Merrithew,  please  tell 
me  why  should  they  not  take  advantage  of  such  a 
chance  ?  The  yacht  can  sail  that  way  as  well  as 


224  °- 

the  other.  There's  plenty  of  room,  and  I  think  it's 
comfortable, —  don't  you?  Then  why  shouldn't 
they  do  it?" 

It  was  a  tempting  offer.  I,  for  one,  should  have 
gladly  accepted  it, —  at  least,  so  far  as  I  myself  was 
concerned.  But  for  Margaret  ? 

It  struck  me  as  not  quite  a  delicate  thing  to  do. 
Mrs.  Merrithew  replied,-— 

"We  will  leave  the  matter  to  Margaret.  She 
shall  decide." 

A  change  came  over  the  weather  a  few  hours 
later.  It  was  perfectly  calm,  but  a  dark  purple 
cloud  came  up  in  the  west  and  spread  gradually 
over  the  sky.  I  began  to  worry  about  Margaret, 
and  to  regret  that  I  had  permitted  her  to  go  off 
alone.  I  remembered  what  the  lighthouse-keeper 
said  about  the  dangers  of  the  inner  bay. 

She  must  have  seen  it  rising  and  be  on  her  way 
back.  I  went  up  to  the  steep  bluff  beyond  the 
lighthouse,  where  I  could  see  the  whole  distance  to 
the  Franks'  wharf.  By  this  time  the  cloud  was 
overhead,  sweeping  like  a  vast  cylinder,  its  forward 
edge  clearly  denned  and  sharp-cut  against  the  blue 
of  the  sky.  Underneath,  puffs  of  ragged  cloud 
shot  downward,  as  though  spurted  out  by  internal 
forces.  I  could  see  a  small  speck  on  the  water. 
It  was  evidently  a  boat.  A  single  pair  of  oars  was 
rising  and  falling.  It  was  Margaret,  trying  to  get 
back  before  the  storm  would  strike.  The  tide  had 


O.Y   THE   POLYT.  22$ 

turned,  as  I  could  see  by  the  ripple  behind  the 
numbered  buoy. 

"Oh!  why  didn't  she  stay  till  it  was  over?"  i 
cried  to  myself.  A  sudden  idea  struck  me.  I  put 
it  into  instant  execution.  I  ran  as  fast  as  I  could 
to  the  wharf.  Mr.  Gregor's  yacht  was  moored 
within  hailing  distance.  When  I  got  there  I  was 
out  of  breath.  I  could  not  utter  a  word.  Fortu 
nately,  a  man  was  lounging  about  on  the  wharf.  I 
made  him  shout.  I  could  see  some  one  on  board 
looking  through  a  spy-glass.  I  waved  my  hand 
kerchief  and  beckoned.  A  minute  or  two  later, 
the  yacht's  small  boat  started  for  the  shore.  I  was 
so  excited  that  I  could  hardly  wait  till  it  reached 
the  wharf  steps. 

"  Put  me  on  board,"  I  cried,  and  narrowly  escaped 
pitching  head  first  into  the  water. 

"  Is  Mr.  Gregor  there?" 

"  Yes." 

There  was  an  ominous  darkness,  a  sort  of  angry 
glare  in  the  sky  and  on  the  water. 

I  scrambled  on  deck  and  told  Mr.  Gregor  that 
Margaret  was  out  alone  in  a  small  boat,  trying  to 
row  back  from  the  Franks'.  At  that  moment  the 
storm  struck  the  inner  bay :  a  tremendous  gust  of 
wind  that  careened  the  yacht,  a  flash  of  yellow-red 
lightning  and  a  deafening  peal  of  thunder,  instantly 
followed  by  a  deluge  of  rain. 

Mr.    Gregor,    as   usual    a  man  of   resources,  or- 


226  ON    THE   POIXT. 

dered  out  the  electric  launch.  It  took  only  a  few 
seconds,  but  it  seemed  to  me  an  age. 

"  You  stay  on  board !  I  '11  go  !  "  he  shouted,  and 
before  I  had  a  chance  to  protest,  the  little  craft, 
under  his  guidance,  was  dashing  through  the  water 
toward  the  boat,  which  \ve  could  just  see  through 
the  driving  rain.  Fortunately,  the  wind  had  come 
too  suddenly  to  raise  a  heavy  sea,  but  Margaret 
found  it  impossible  to  row  against  such  blasts. 
When  she  found  it  was  a  hopeless  task,  and  that 
the  wind  was  driving  her  up  stream  against  the 
tide,  instead  of  giving  up  and  lying  down  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat,  as  many  girls  would  have  done, 
she  pluckily  clung  to  the  oars  and  did  her  level 
best  to  keep  the  bow  in  the  wind.  Mr.  Gregor  and 
his  men  reached  her  before  her  strength  was 
exhausted. 

They  helped  her  into  the  launch,  made  her  boat 
fast  by  the  painter,  and  started  back  to  the  yacht. 
Even  for  the  launch  it  was  a  tough  struggle.  I 
could  see  the  gallant  craft  tossing  from  her  bow  the 
dashing  spray,  and  lurching  forward  when  the  fierce 
wind  lulled  for  a  moment.  It  was  really  a  marvel 
that  they  reached  the  yacht  in  safety,  for  only 
a  few  moments  afterward  a  tremendous  gust  struck 
the  bay.  The  captain  ordered  additional  anchors 
out,  and  we  held  ground.  But  several  schooners 
dragged ;  two  collided  together  and  one  went 
ashore. 


OA'    THE    POLYT.  227 

Of  course  Margaret  was  soaked  to  the  skin ; 
but  her  cheeks  were  aglow.  She  realized  the 
clanger  to  which  she  had  been  exposed,  but  she 
enjoyed  the  excitement  of  the  storm.  She  declared 
she  was  not  frightened  in  the  least. 

I  -knew  that  Mrs.  Merrithew  would  be  frantic 
with  apprehension.  I  therefore  begged  Mr.  Gregor 
to  set  us  both  ashore  as  soon  as  possible.  He 
himself  saw  the  necessity  of  doing  so. 

As  soon  as  we  got  home,  Margaret  had  an  attack 
of  something  like  hysterics.  She  laughed  and  cried, 
and  talked  so  fast  that  it  was  strange  to  hear  her. 
Mrs.  Merrithew  put  her  to  bed,  and,  thanks  to 
her  excellent  constitution,  she  suffered  no  serious 
ill.  She  stayed  in  bed  the  rest  of  the  day,  and 
was  all  right  the  next  morning,  when  Mr.  Gregor 
came  to  inquire  after  her. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  if  it  had  not  been 
for  his  rescue  of  her  the  day  before,  she  would 
have  decided  to  accept  the  invitation  to  go  home 
on  the  yacht ;  but  after  that  episode  it  was  clearly 
impossible.  He  had  the  delicacy  not  to  press  the 
invitation. 

Even  if  we  had  decided  to  go  with  him,  the 
excursion  would  not  have  taken  place. 

I  thought  that  Mr.  Gregor  looked  a  trifle  pale, 
and  asked  him  if  the  exposure  of  the  day  before 
had  not  been  too  much  for  him.  He  laughed 
it  off,  but  acknowledged  that  he  had  been  suffer 


228  O,V   THE    1'OIXT. 

ing  from  a  rush  of  blood  to  the  head,  but  felt 
much  better.  He  remarked  that  as  we  were 
not  to  be  his  guests,  he  thought  he  would  carry 
out  his  original  intention  and  sail  farther  up  the 
coast,  especially  as  two  gentlemen  whom  he  brought 
with  him  the  week  before  had  that  morning  re 
turned  from  a  trip  up  into  the  country.  They  would 
like  to  see  some  of  the  interesting  places  beyond. 
He  would  see  us  on  his  return. 

He  shook  hands  heartily  with  each  of  us.  gave 
Natalie  a  kiss  on  each  plump  cheek,  and  exchanged 
pleasant  words  with  the  small  boys.  He  held 
Margaret's  hand  a  moment  in  his,  and  looked  at 
her  with  a  sort  of  mute  pleading  that  was  not 
without  its  pathos. 

'*  I  shall  hope  to  hear  from  you."  he  said.  ••  and 
we  may  meet  in  Newport." 

A  few  hours  later  we  heard  the  yacht's  starting 
gun,  and  after  a  little  we  saw  her  rounding  the 
Point.  She  came  as  near  to  our  shore  as  the 
channel  permitted.  We  could  plainly  see  Mr. 
Gregor  waving  his  handkerchief.  His  two  friends 
were  standing  by  him.  The  yacht  saluted  again 
and  again.  The  small  boys  squealed  with  all 
the  siren  might  of  their  elastic  lungs.  We  waved 
everything  white  that  we  possessed. 

Then  the  yacht  struck  diagonally  across  the 
bay.  We  watched  her  rapidly  growing  less  and 
less,  till  she  vanished  out  of  sight. 


<9.V   THE   POINT.  229 

It  was  impossible  to  explain  the  feeling  of 
sadness  that  fell  on  all  of  us  after  the  disap 
pearance  of  the  "  Yetolka."  It  was  a  sort  of  presenti 
ment.  It  could  not  have  been  more  pronounced 
than  if  it  had  carried  Margaret  away  on  a  bridal 
tour.  Yet  there  the  girl  stood  by  my  side,  with 
a  far-away  look  in  her  eyes.  The  Point  seemed 
desolate.  It  seemed  as  if  the  breath  of  Autumn 
had  suddenly  struck  the  place,  as  if  the  prevalence 
of  Fall's  yellow  colors,  China's  mourning  hues,  had 
anticipated  the  departure  of  Summer.  It  was  a 
strange,  inexplicable  sensation,  caused  perhaps  in 
part  by  the  impending  changes,  by  our  own  ap 
proaching  break-up,  perhaps  in  part  to  the  reaction 
after  the  strain  of  the  past  few  days,  and  the 
removal  of  immediate  decision  on  a  matter  so 
important,  leaving  it,  however,  a  matter  of  sus 
pense  and  conjecture.  There  were  many  possible 
elements  in  the  impression.  Even  Mrs.  Merrithew, 
who  approved  least  of  the  proposal,  felt  the  shadow; 
but  in  her  case  it  was  more  easily  explainable. 

On  the  following  Tuesday  Margaret  and  I 
started.  We  took  the  early  morning  steamer 
down  the  bay,  proposing  to  stay  a  few  hours 
with  the  other  Franks  at  their  summer  farm,  and 
take  the  big  boat  in  the  afternoon.  I  wrote  them 
of  our  coming,  and  they  kindly  met  us  at  the 
wharf.  Mr.  Frank  himself  drove  down  with 
his  two  daughters  and  his  son ;  he  had  a  thr*3^- 


23O  O.Y    THE   POIXT. 

seated  wagon,  drawn  by  two  handsome  horses. 
He  suggested  that  it  would  be  pleasant  for  us 
to  have  a  drive  before  dinner. 

That  drive  was  one  of  the  pleasantest  episodes 
of  the  summer.  It  was  not  the  clearest  of  days ; 
there  was  a  haze  in  the  atmosphere  which  hung, 
veil-like,  over  the  sea  and  made  the  islands  indis 
tinct  ;  but  it  softened  the  contours  of  the  mountains, 
and  communicated  to  them  a  sort  of  poetic  mystery. 
We  first  drove  through  the  pretty  village  clustering 
around  the  beautiful  harbor.  There  were  two  large 
four-masters  almost  ready  for  launching.  Dozens 
of  men  were  at  work  like  bees,  some  bending  the 
new  canvas,  others  giving  finishing  touches.  One 
of  them  was  to  be  launched  that  very  day,  and 
it  was  likely  that  we  should  have  time  to  see  it. 

Then  we  left  the  village  and  climbed  a  long 
hill,  on  the  very  summit  of  which  stood  the 
charming  home  of  our  friends.  The  view  ex 
tended  in  every  direction,  with  mountains  on  three 
sides  of  them  and  the  sea  in  front.  Down  in 
the  valley  gleamed  the  winding  waters  of  a  jewel- 
like  lake.  Toward  that  we  took  our  way,  skirting 
its  shore  for  some  little  distance  till  we  reached 
a  branch  road  that  followed  the  foot  of  the  highest 
of  the  mountains,  rising  sheer  from  the  water  with 
a  magnificent  precipice,  where  lurked  a  gigantic 
echo,  as  tall  as  the  Dame  Nature  described  by 
Brunetto  Latini.  Under  an  arch  of  fine  trees 


ON   THE   POINT.  2$  I 

we  climbed  this  hilly  road,  leaving  the  lake,  till 
at  last  we  reached  another  summit  from  which 
we  could  see  a  large  part  of  the  lake. 

Margaret  instantly  exclaimed,  — 

"Oh,  papa!  it  is  like  the  Lake  of   Killarney !  " 

"  You  are  not  the  first  person  who  has  said  so," 
said  Mr.  Frank.  "  But  is  it  not  strange  that  this 
region  has  been  so  neglected  by  Fashion  ?  Merri- 
thew,  there  's  a  farm  next  ours,  —  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  —  three  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
standing  timber  on  it  —  good  house  —  that  is,  good 
enough  —  could  be  made  first  class  for  five  hun 
dred  dollars  —  barn  tumble-down,  ramshackly,  — 
you  can  buy  it  for  twenty  five  -  hundred !  Good 
chance,  sure  investment." 

"  I  will  think  it  over,"  I  replied. 

It  was  a  very  judicial  reply.  I  thought  many 
a  time  of  the  pleasures  of  a  Newport  cottage,  of  a 
mansion  in  the  skies,  of  a  dozen  things  enviable 
but  equally  out  of  my  reach.  As  for  a  farm,  I  felt 
the  life  of  a  farmer  was  not  my  vocation.  I  did  n't 
know  "  pusley  "  from  sauerkraut,  or  at  least  from 
salad  ;  I  might  almost  be  said  not  to  "  know  beans." 
I  did  not  know  the  proper  time  to  plant  anything. 
I  never  ploughed  in  my  life.  I  never  swung  a 
scythe.  The  only  way  of  owning  a  farm,  as  far  as  I 
was  concerned,  was  to  conduct  it  myself.  I  was 
not  a  rich  manufacturer  like  Mr.  Frank,  and  it  was 
out  of  the  question  for  me  to  have  a  farmer  and 
run  it  on  broad  principles  of  laissez  faire. 


232  OA'    THE   POIXT. 

What  a  delightful  drive  it  was  !  We  got  back 
just  in  time  for  dinner.  Then  we  appreciated  the 
blessings  of  being  a  farm-owner !  Such  vegetables 
I  never  tasted  before,  —  full  ears  of  the  sweetest 
corn,  late  peas,  that  melted  on  the  tongue  like 
honey,  string-beans  as  tender  as  the  heart  of  a 
cherub,  beets  bleeding  ruby  wine,  summer  squashes 
almost  as  delectable  as  melons,  and  for  dessert, 
canteloupes  as  spicy  as  the  juices  of  Cathay. 

We  were  just  in  time  to  see  the  launch  of  the 
four-master.  It  was  a  gala  occasion  for  all  the 
region  round.  The  harbor  was  full  of  yachts  of 
every  description,  all  gayly  decorated  with  flags 
and  streamers,  the  great  vessel  duly  attired,  as 
befitted  the  latest  bride  added  to  old  Neptune's 
harem :  he  has  more  than  Solomon  had  in  all 
his  glory,  (as  may  be  read  in  the  eleventh  book 
of  First  Kings!*)  All  was  expectation;  crowds 
of  people  stood  on  every  wharf  and  house-top  and 
lined  the  shores.  Hundreds  of  carriages  filled  the 
roads.  Suddenly  the  noise  of  fifty  hammers  was 
heard,  and  then,  with  a  slight  cracking  sound  the 
ship  began  slowly  to  slide  down  the  greased  ways. 
Three  young  ladies  decorated  her  bow  with  a 
garland  of  roses.  As  she  gathered  impetus  the 
whistle  on  all  the  steam -crafts  and  all  the  mills 
set  up  an  unearthly  shrieking ;  cannon  were  fired, 
and  thousands  of  shouts  rent  the  air.  She  was 
soon  riding  like  a  swan  on  the  water. 


O.Y    THE   rOIXT.  233 

I  should  recommend  Longfellow's  "  Building  of 
the  Ship  "  if  any  one  wished  further  details,  but  I 
believe  that  has  been  declared  immoral  by  certain 
eminent  authorities,  and  I  should  not  like  to  con 
taminate  the  minds  of  the  most  sensitive.  The 
metaphor  employed  above  is  strictly  scriptural,  and 
therefore  irreproachable. 

Our  steamer  was  on  time,  and  we  were  soon 
homeward  bound.  We  had  only  one  more  stop  to 
make.  It  was  just  sunset  as  we  reached  the  port. 
The  sun,  looking  like  a  disk  of  bloody  fire,  was  sink 
ing  behind  the  mountains  as  we  passed  the  break 
water  and  moved  up  to  the  wharf.  We  were  on 
the  hurricane  deck  enjoying  the  scene.  It  was 
warm  and  perfectly  calm.  Suddenly  Margaret  ex 
claimed,  — 

"  Why  !  there  's  the  "  Yetolka,"  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  What  can  she  be  doing  here  ?  "  I  queried. 

When  we  were  alongside  the  wharf,  we  watched 
the  men  loading  the  freight.  It  was  high  tide,  and 
they  had  an  easier  time  than  when  they  have  to 
run  it  up  an  inclined  plane,  at  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees.  But  it  was  interesting  to  see  them  rushing 
on  board  with  their  trucks  filled  with  boxes,  and 
bales,  and  barrels,  —  occasionally  a  crate  full  of 
fowls  cackling  and  craning  their  scared  heads  out 
between  the  slats,  at  imminent  danger  of  disloca 
tion.  Two  men  at  last  came  with  a  canoe. 

"I  declare,"  said  I,  "if  that  isn't  our  friends' 
canoe ! " 


234  OX    THE    POIXT. 

"Then  they  must  be  on  board,"  said  Margaret; 
"that  will  be  very  pleasant." 

I  went  to  look  for  them,  but  Margaret  was  the 
first  to  spy  them  on  the  wharf. 

"  This  is  indeed  a  surprise !  "  they  exclaimed, 
when  we  were  all  together. 

Naturally  Curtiss  was  radiant  and  full  of  his  droll 
sayings.  I  could  not  help  thinking  how  strange  it 
was  that  he,  who,  at  first  sight,  struck  one  as  a 
man  graver  than  a  judge,  should  have  had  such  a 
quaint  humor,  while  Mr.  Gregor,  in  spite  of  the 
rather  comical  appearance,  seemed  to  have  had  the 
sense  of  wit  left  out  of  his  composition,  as  though 
he  had  inherited  the  traditional  obtuseness  of  the 
Scotch. 

It  was  Curtiss,  nevertheless,  who  explained  for 
us  the  presence  of  the  yacht  in  the  harbor.  It  was 
indeed  sad  news,  and  considerably  dashed  our  en 
joyment  of  the  trip. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  we  heard  accidentally  that  Mr. 
Gregor  had  had  a  stroke  shortly  after  leaving  the 
Point.  They  brought  him  here  and  carried  him 
ashore.  He 's  at  the  hotel,  and  very  dangerously 
ill.  He  can  hardly  speak ;  he  can  only  write  with 
his  left  hand.  We  heard  this  afternoon  that  he 
was  sinking.'' 

"  Fortunately,"  said  I,  "  one  of  his  friends  on 
board  was  a  doctor,  I  believe ;  so  he  will  have  good 
care." 


O.Y    THE    POINT.  235 

The  home  voyage  was  otherwise  uneventful. 
Margaret  pleaded  a  slight  headache,  and  turned  in 
early.  1  did  not  blame  her.  She  could  not  feel 
like  joining  in  gay  conversation.  I  am  afraid  the 
young  men  thought  that  1  was  rather  abstracted ; 
but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  keep  my  mind  from 
the  sick-bed  of  the  man  whom  we  had  met  and 
parted  from  so  significantly.  Nor  could  I  confide 
to  my  daughter's  other  suitor  the  real  state  of 
things.  I  suppose  it  was  this  upsetting  intelligence 
that  prevented  Margaret  from  telling  the  young 
men  of  her  prospective  visit  to  Newport. 

We  got  in  early  in  the  morning;  there  was  not 
even  a  wraith  of  fog  to  delay  us.  It  was  too  early 
to  catch  the  first  car  home,  so  Margaret  and  I  went 
to  a  hotel  and  got  breakfast.  On  the  way  1  got 
a  newspaper,  and  almost  the  first  thing  that  my 
eye  fell  on  was  a  telegraphic  despatch  announcing 
the  death  of  the  millionnaire  Archibald  Gregor.  A 
brief  obituary  was  appended,  and  mention  was 
made  of  the  probable  destination  of  his  fortune. 

Margaret  was  to  go  to  Newport  that  afternoon. 
I  was  to  sleep  at  the  house  and  take  my  meals  in 
town  until  the  family  returned.  Thus  must  the 
forlorn  temporary  grass-widower  live,  as  it  were, 
from  hand  to  mouth.  I  saw  Margaret  off,  but 
could  not  bring  myself  to  the  point  of  telling  her 
of  Mr.  Gregor's  death. 

How  strange  it  seemed  to  be  back  amid  civiliza- 


236  O.V    THE   POIXT. 

lion  again !  to  see  men  crouching  like  monkeys 
over  the  bars  of  their  bicycles,  as  though  to  entail 
on  their  descendants  humps  more  monstrous  than 
Quasimodo's  !  and  women,  each  with  one  hand  at 
tached  to  her  back,  as  though  to  entail  on  their  de 
scendants  an  atrophied  member!  How  close  and 
ill-smelling  the  streets  of  the  city  !  How  lifeless, 
ozoneless  the  atmosphere  !  How  the  August  pipers 
dinned  with  their  rythmic,  vibrant  voices  !  What  a 
barbarous  roar  and  rumble  of  teams  on  pavements ! 

But  I  am  fain  to  confess  that  I  rather  enjoyed 
my  temporary  grass-widowhood.  Most  of  the 
houses  in  our  neighborhood  were  closed ;  there  was 
no  temptation  to  waste  time ;  there  was  no  interrup 
tion  ;  it  was  perfectly  quiet,  and  I  was  enabled  to 
do  a  lot  of  work. 

Thus  passed  the  days  so  far  as  concerned  me. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

IN    WHICH    MR.    MERRITHEW    ONLY    HINTS    AT    A 
CLIMAX. 

THE  first  letter  that  I  received  from  Mrs. 
Merrithew  enclosed  a  telegram  and  a  letter. 
They  had  been  received  shortly  after  our  departure, 
but  had  not  been  delivered  till  some  hours  had 
elapsed.  They  were  both  to  the  same  effect,  only 
the  letter  was  circumstantial.  I  was  desired  to 
bring  Margaret  as  soon  as  possible  to  Mr.  Gregor's 
bedside.  He  had  received  this  stroke  on  board  of 
the  yacht,  and  knew  that  he  had  not  long  to  live. 
He  was  most  anxious  that  Margaret  should  marry 
237 


238  a\*    THE   POINT. 

him  even  then ;  but  if  she  were  unwilling,  he 
wanted  at  least  to  see  her  once  more  before  he 
passed  away. 

It  was  strange  that  no  one  thought  to  intercept 
us  at  the  steamer,  but  it  was  evidently  a  refinement 
of  forethought  that,  under  the  circumstances,  was 
pardonably  neglected. 

I  am  certain  that  Margaret  could  not  have  consci 
entiously  taken  such  a  step.  It  would  have  been 
done,  at  least  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  simply  foi 
the  sake  of  attaining  control  of  a  large  fortune.  It 
would  have  entailed  disagreeable  complications 
with  Mr.  Gregor's  relatives.  I  was,  on  the  whole, 
thankful  enough  that  the  messages  from  the  dying 
man  failed  to  reach  us.  It  would  have  been  inex 
pressibly  trying. 

But,  after  this  warning,  I  was  not  surprised  to  re 
ceive,  a  few  days  later,  a  letter  from  Mr.  Gregor's 
lawyers,  enclosing  a  dictated  letter,  sealed,  for  Mar 
garet,  and  informing  me  that  by  the  terms  of  his 
will,  under  a  codicil,  signed  just  before  the  stroke 
came  on  him,  —  the  junior  partner  of  the  law  firm 
being  on  board  the  "  Vetolka,"  so  that  it  was  all 
perfectly  regular, —  Margaret  was  a  beneficiary  to 
the  amount  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

I  had  heard  of  such  things  before,  but  I  never 
dreamed  of  their  happening  in  my  family.  In 
these  days  of  colossal  estates,  it  was  not  a  piece  of 
absolutely  dazzling  fortune;  but  when  I,  as  trustee, 


av  THE  POIXT.  239 

received  the  securities,  which  brought  an  income  at 
six  per  centum,  I  felt  that  Margaret,  while  theoreti 
cally  disapproving  of  the  principle  of  an  unearned 
increment,  might  not  find  the  interest  so  inconven 
ient  to  have. 

It  made  her  independent.  It  gave  her  a  thou 
sand  chances  to  do  good.  1  don't  know  how  many 
little  luxuries  that  Mrs.  Merrithew  and  I  had 
longed  for,  or  how  many  little  pleasures  for  the 
younger  children  it  enabled  her  to  provide. 

I  only  wish  that  every  girl  in  the  country,  who 
deserved  it  as  much  as  Margaret  did,  could  have  a 
similar  stroke  of  good  fortune. 

Margaret  afterwards  showed  me  the  letter  which 
Mr.  Gregor  had  sent  her.  It  was  a  pathetic 
message  from  the  dead.  It  was  indeed  begun 
in  his  own  cramped  and  disabled  hand ;  but  the 
ending  was  copied  from  dictation.  Just  before 
he  died,  he  had,  to  a  certain  extent,  recovered  the 
use  of  his  tongue.  The  letter  showed  the  man's 
excellence  of  character,  and,  above  all,  his  tender 
heart.  Margaret  will  always  preserve  it  among 
her  most  precious  treasures.  It  was  that  letter, 
and  the  knowledge  which  she  came  to  have  of 
Mr.  Gregor's  life-long  benefactions,  that  more  than 
anything  else  inclines  her  to  use  the  fund  which 
he  left  her  as  a  sort  of  trust  for  others. 

Owing  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Gregor,  Margaret 
and  I  had  for  several  days  a  lively  correspondence, 
mainly  on  that  subject. 


240  O.Y    THE    POLYT. 

It  was,  perhaps,  a  week  after  the  letter  from  the 
lawyers  came  announcing  the  matter  of  the  will 
that  she  began  to  tell  anything  about  her  visit 
to  Newport.  Miss  Askelon  was  kindness  itself, 
and  was  most  sympathetic  when  she  learned  the 
whole  story  from  the  gill's  iips. 

Miss  Askelon  lived  in  a  large,  old-fashioned, 
comfortable  house  on  one  of  the  streets  near  the 
Jewish  burying-ground,  —  one  of  the  pleasantest 
parts  of  Newport.  IJut  she  did  not  move,  or  care 
to  move,  in  the  fashionable  society,  which,  judging 
from  the  reports  in  the  newspapers,  make  up  the 
life  of  that  lovely  watering-place. 

There  is  a  theory  which  I  have  never  verified, 
that  one  may  pour  a  bushel  of  beans  into  a  basket 
filled  with  potatoes.  So  it  is  with  Newport :  the 
so-called  "  smart  set "  occupy  all  the  space  that 
they  can ;  they  fill  the  social  basket,  but  there  is 
just  as  much  room  as  ever  for  the  smaller  folk 
who  do  not  pretend  to  be  fashionable,  and  who. 
nevertheless,  get  an  equal  amount  of  enjoyment 
out  of  life. 

Miss  Askelon  was  one  of  these.  She  possessed 
a  large  income,  she  had  charming  taste,  her  house 
was  furnished  in  the  most  comfortable  and  home 
like  style,  with  plenty  of  books,  admirable  pictures 
and  not  too  much  bric-a-brac.  — -  unless  the  pam 
pered  dog  be  considered  under  that  category ! 
She  had  good,  safe  horses,  a  careful  driver,  and 


ON    THE   POIXT.  241 

she  always  managed  to  attract  about  her  a  society 
of  culture  and  refinement.  She  was  a  woman  who 
had  a  definite  idea  of  what  life  meant ;  she  made 
the  most  of  it,  not  only  for  herself  but  for  her 
friends.  No  one  ever  visited  her  and  failed  to 
have  a  good  time.  She  was  a  maiden  lady,  and 
yet  she  was  the  least  of  an  old  maid  that  I  ever 
saw.  There  was  some  romance  connected  with 
her  life.  Some  time  I  mean  to  find  what  it  was. 
If  1  ever  do  and  it  is  possible,  I  shall  make  use 
of  it.  She  will  give  me  permission,  I  am  sure. 

Those  who  visit  Newport  in  such  conditions  as 
Miss  Askelon  provides  are  amazed  at  the  freedom 
of  the  place.  They  may  hear  rumors  of  the  scan 
dals  affecting  our  pinchbeck  ''high-life;'1  they  may 
by  chance  get  glimpses  of  haughty  faces,  passing 
down  the  avenue ;  they  may  even  see  the  in 
terior  of  some  of  the  palatial  "  cottages "  along 
the  cliff;  but  it  is  not  the  Casino,  or  watching 
fashionable  young  men  break  their  necks  playing 
polo,  that  they  will  enjoy  most.  It  will  be  at 
the  "  Town  and  Country  Club,"  or  sailing  in  a 
humble  cat-boat,  or  rowing  in  the  moonlight,  or 
walking  over  to  Fort  Adams  to  hear  the  band 
play  from  the  ramparts,  or,  —  at  least  so  it  used 
to  be, —  picnicking  at  the  Dumplings  and  fishing 
off  Brenton's  reef. 

Oh,  simplicity  of  life!  how  delightful  it  is! 
When  the  wheels  are  complicated,  how  much  more 
apt  they  are  to  clog  and  foul  ! 


242  O.Y    THE   POIXT. 

Those  who  have  their  terrapin  and  champagne 
and  high  game  every  day  know  not  the  delights  of 
terrapin  and  champagne  and  game.  Once  or  twice 
a  year  is  enough  for  it,  and  we  are  willing,  perhaps, 
to  pay  the  penalty  of  headache  and  ill-temper 
that  ensue.  If  I  were  worth  a  million  I  should 
not  be  tempted  to  enlarge  my  style  of  living. 
Why  should  I  keep  a  boarding-house  for  servants 
and  pay  them  for  boarding  with  me  ?  Those  days 
when  both  girls  are  out  and  Mrs.  Merrithew  her 
self  gets  our  supper  (and  I  tell  you  she  can 
cook;  she  can  make  things  taste  appetizing,  though 
I  did  not  marry  her  for  that)  are  marked  with 
a  golden  mile-stone ;  and  I  wish  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart  that  we  could  always  get  along  with 
that  old-fashioned,  Arcadian  simplicity  which  we, 
perhaps  fallaciously,  suppose  that  our  ancestors 
enjoyed. 

Margaret  has  been  educated  to  enjoy  this  same 
simple  fare.  She  is  simple,  also,  in  her  dress.  I 
could  not  imagine  her  rigged  out  like  a  girl  whom 
I  saw  yesterday  in  the  street, —  with  elaborately 
frizzled  hair  and  machine-made  bangs,  and  a  hat 
decorated  with  a  regular  arsenal  of  pins  and  buckles 
and  feathers  and  ribons,  and  a  structure  unnamed 
rising  from  each  shoulder,  as  though  she  were 
trying  to  make  people  think  wings  were  sprouting 
underneath,  and  a  belt  with  enough  silver  on  it 
to  raise  the  price  of  that  no  longer  precious  metal, 


O.Y   THE   POINT.  243 

and  various  other  articles  for  show  between  the 
top  feather  on  her  head  and  the  high  heel  on 
her  unhygienic  boot.  This  one  was  a  study ! 
But  Margaret  needs  no  "  making  up." 
Margaret  wrote  me  in  full  of  the  delights  of  New 
port  ;  I  should  like  to  quote  a  good  many  pages 
of  these  letters.  They  would  give  a  better  idea 
of  the  girl's  character  and  nature  than  any  de 
scription  of  mine.  But  they  have  so  much  to  do 
with  people  whose  names  are  interwoven,  and  who 
might  object  to  this  kind  of  publicity,  that  I  must 
refrain. 

One  sentence  only  from  one  of  them  I  will 
quote : 

"  Now,  papa,  I  have  a  great  piece  of  news  for  you.  Who 
do  you  guess  is  visiting  here  at  Miss  Askelon's  ?  .  .  .  .  No 
one  else  than  Ralf  Curtiss!  He  is  Miss  Askelon's  nephew, 
no  —  half-cousin.  Isn't  it  strange  that  we  never  knew  it 
before?  We  never  mentioned  her  to  him,  nor  he  to  us.  lie 
only  came  last  night,  and  he  is  to  be  here  a  whole  week, 

perhaps   longer He   seems    like  such    a  good    fellow. 

Miss  Askelon  has  told  me  a  great  deal  about  him.  She  is 
very  fond  of  him.  She  says  he  has  such  a  strong  character. 
When  I  saw  him  coming  in  it  almost  took  away  my  breath. 
I  le  did  n't  know  I  was  here,  either.  I  have  known  him  only 
a  few  days,  but  somehow  it  seemed  as  though  I  had  known 
him  all  my  life.  He  has  planned  some  lovely  excursions,  and 
Miss  Askelon,  who  told  us  she  expected  a  relative,  but  did 
not  mention  any  name,  is  very  enthusiastic  about  it  .... 
Can't  you  come  down  and  spend  Sunday  ?  Miss  Askelon 
suggested  the  idea.  I  think  she  will  write  you." 


244  O.Y   THE   POIXT. 

I  will  also  quote  a  sentence  from  Miss  Askelon's 
letter  : 

'•  We  are  enjoying  Margaret's  visit  immensely.  She  has 
the  gift  of  making  herself  at  home,  and  that  is  the  great 
est  compliment  that  a  visitor  can  pay.  She  is  also  very 
helpful,  full  of  resources,  amiable,  and  unselfish.  A  young 
relative  of  mine,  whom  you  know — Ralf  Curtiss  —  is  there. 
I  suspect, — you  know  there  is  no  one  so  alert  as  an  old  maid 
in  getting  wind  of  such  things, —  I  suspect  that  Ralf  has  a 
tender  spot  in  his  heart  for  Miss  Margaret.  I  am  pretty 
skilful  in  worming  secrets  from  young  people.  I  made  Ralf 
confess.  It  seems  to  me  an  ideal  match.  Margaret  is  n't 
fond  of  him  yet, —  I  mean  dangerously  fond  of  him,  but  if  she 
sees  him  much  longer,  the  damp  green-wood  of  her  heart  will 
catch  fire.  Can't  you  come  down  to  Newport  and  spend 
Sunday, — -stay  as  long  as  you  can,  there  is  always  plenty  of 
room?  Come  down,  and  we  will  talk  the  matter  over  like  a 
pair  of  old  conspirators.  ...  Do  come!  I  have  bidden 
Margaret  add  her  persuasions.'' 

There  was  no  reason  why  I  should  not  go.  So  I 
packed  up  my  gripsack  and  started.  I  had  a 
delightful  visit.  Miss  Askelon  managed  to  take 
me  to  ride  while  the  rest  were  doing  something  else 
less  important,  and  we  thoroughly  discussed  the 
matter  of  a  match  between  Margaret  and  Ralf. 
Miss  Askelon  believed  fully  in  letting  the  affair 
have  full  course. 

"  If  they  want  to  become  engaged  before  he 
graduates,  let  them,  by  all  means,"  said  she.  "  I 
have  seen  in  my  own  life  the  wretchedness  of 
parental  interference  — 


a\r    THE   POINT.  245 

That  gave  me  an  excellent  chance  to  get  Miss 
Askelon  to  tell  me  of  her  own  life-romance,  but  she 
evaded  it : 

"  Not  now,  not  now ;  some  other  time.  Perhaps 
J  will  leave  you  my  memoirs  —  my  manuscript 
memoirs  —  in  my  will,"  she  added,  playfully. 

'*  I  don't  mean  that  in  every  case  young  people 
are  to  be  left  to  follow  their  own  inclinations,"  she 
explained.  "  But  in  the  case  of  a  girl  like 
Margaret,  who  has  such  remarkable  self-balance,  or 
Ralf,  who  is,  I  assure  you,  true  gold,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  danger.  I  kit  then,  you  know,  '  the  best 
laid  plans  of  mice  and  men,'  —  Ralf  is  already  in 
love  with  Margaret,  but  Margaret  does  not  as 
yet  suspect  it.  Ralf  told  me  that  he  had  spoken  to 
you,  and  you  rather  warned  him  off.  Don't  do  it ! 
Let  him  see  her  as  much  as  he  wants.  He  will  be 
wise.  But  then,  as  I  have  read,  — 

"  Two  shall  be  born  tJie  whole  wide  world  apart, 
And  speak  in  different  tongues,  and  have  no  thought 
Each  of  the  other's  being,  and  no  heed; 
And  tJicse  o'er  unknown  seas  to  unknown  lands 
Shall  cross,  escaping  wreck,  defying  death; 
And,  all  unconsciously,  sJiape  ei'cry  act 
And  bend  eacli  wandering  step  to  this  one  end; 
Tliat,  one  day,  out  of  darkness  they  shall  meet, 
And  read  lije's  meaning  in  each  other's  eyes. 


246  ON   THE  POINT. 

Ever  so  little  space  to  right  or  left, 

They  needs  must  stand  acknowledged  face  to  face, 

And  yet  with  wistful  eyes  that  iii-vcr  meet. 

IVith  groping  hands  that  never  clasp,  and  lips 

Calling  in  vain  to  cars  that  >u~\'r  hear. 

They  seek  each  other  all  their  weary  i/urs 

And  die  unsatisfied, —  and  that  is  fate  !  " 

For  sentimentality  pure  and  simple  commend  me 
to  an  old  maid  !  Still  I  could  not  really  see  any 
reason  to  interfere  with  Margaret's  love  affairs. 

I  went  back  home,  satisfied  to  let  her  stay  on 
with  Miss  Askelon  in  spite  of  the  continued  visit 
of  Ralf  Curtiss. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

WHEREIN    THE    END    OF    THE    STORY  IS    SHOWN    TO 
BE  LIRE  MAHOMET'S  COFFIN. 

NO  one  ever  saw  Mahomet's  coffin,  but  it  is 
said  to  be  suspended  in  the  air  somewhere. 
Margaret's  love-story  has  a  certain  resemblance  to 
that.  Perhaps  I  should  be  regarded  as  presumptu 
ous  if  I  said  that  no  one  had  ever  seen  the  future. 
But  we  can  imagine  the  appearance  of  Mahomet's 
coffin  kept  rigid  at  some  central  place  by  the  com 
bining  forces  of  the  universe ;  so  the  reader's 
imagination  may  easily  act  the  seer  and  tell 
whether  Ralf's  persistence  is  or  is  not  to  win  the 
day.  The  question  is  still  undecided. 

Mrs.  Merrithew  succeeded  in  shutting  up  the 
cottage  unaided.  She  engaged  outside  staterooms 
communicating.  The  bungling  agent  secured  her 
two  isolated  inside  ones.  The  night  proved  to  be 
the  roughest  and  windiest  of  the  whole  season. 
The  captain  did  not  dare  leave  port  until  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  It  was  a  night  of 
horrors  over  which  I  will  draw  a  veil. 

At  home  the  day  was  perfect  until  late  in  the 
afternoon,  clear  and  bright.  Mrs.  Merrithew  en 
countered  fog  as  thick  as  that  on  which  the  Cape 


248  o.v  riir.  POIXT. 

Cod  man  shingled  out  a  hundred  feet  beyond  his 
barn  without  knowing  it. 

I  got  up  at  an  abnormally  early  hour  and  went 
to  the  wharf  to  meet  the  boat.  With  characteristic 
disagreeableness  the  functionary  in  charge  of  the 
office  held  back  the  telegram  that  he  had  received 
stating  that  the  boat  would  be  seven  or  eight  hours 
late.  I  therefore  waited  on  the  wharf,  as  Milton 
would  say,  —  unbreakfasted,  unconsolable,  unde 
ceived. 

At  last  an  acquaintance  belonging  to  the  com 
pany  informed  me  of  the  true  state  of  things ;  but 
he  miscalculated,  and  when  I  reached  the  wharf 
again,  half  an  hour  earlier  than  the  time  he  set,  the 
boat  was  already  in.  I  therefore  missed  finding 
my  family.  They  took  the  car,  and  I  hastened 
across  town  for  the  train,  which  I  managed  to  get, 
so  that  I  intercepted  them  just  as  they  were  dis 
mounting  from  the  car.  I  carried  the  baby  this 
time.  The  little  rascal,  in  spite  of  his  hard  experi 
ence,  was  as  lively  as  a  grig,  and  managed  to  untie 
my  necktie  before  I  had  gone  four  steps.  They 
were  all  glad  enough  to  get  home ;  but  it  was 
twenty-four  hours  before  the  boys  were  convinced 
that  the  floors  of  the  house  were  not  as  "wobbly" 
as  the  ship. 

Margaret  was  still  in  Newport,  with  Miss  Aske- 
lon,  but  she  returned  a  few  days  later.  She  had 
less  to  sav  than  before  about  Ralf  Curtiss,  and  I 


ON    THE   POINT.  249 

noticed  that  when  his  name  was  mentioned  she 
seemed  a  little  self-conscious. 

That  was  all. 

We  agreed  that  it  was  our  duty  as  a  family  to  go 
and  thank  the  Governor  and  his  wife  for  the  de 
lightful  summer  which  their  generosity  had  enabled 
us  to  enjoy,  with  all  its  momentous  consequences. 
I  should  have  liked  to  take,  also,  one  of  the  boys, 
but  Mrs.  Merrithew  thought  that  she  and  I  and 
Margaret  would  make  a  committee  large  enough. 

Just  as  we  started,  Magnus,  Jr.,  made  one  of  his 
embarrassing  remarks. 

"Mamma/'  said  he,  "what  makes  papa  so  bald? 
Why  doesn't  he  take  some  of  his  hair  from  the 
mustache  place,  and  put  it  on  top  of  his  head  ? " 

\Yhat  can  be  done  with  such  a  boy?  I  can  only 
console  myself  by  quoting  what  Dromio  saith : 
••  What  Time  hath  scanted  men  in  hair,  he  hath 
given  them  in  wit."  But  that  is  a  small  consola 
tion. 

On  the  way  I  remarked  that  I  had  lost  an  im 
portant  letter.  "  It  is  very  strange,"  said  I,  "  for  I 
very  rarely  lose  anything." 

"  Why,"  said  Mrs.  Merrithew,  "  you  are  always 
losing  things.  You  are  always  losing  canes,  gloves, 
umbrellas,  books,  pencils.  If  it  were  not  for  me 
you  would  n't  have  anything  left." 

That  is  the  way  a  man  gets  taken  down. 

I   had  nothing  to   say.      It  was  true    I  had  lost 


250  6>Ar   THE 

my  best  umbrella  going  to  Newport.  I  had  left  my 
last  cane,  —  a  friend  had  brought  it  to  me  from  the 
Cannibal  Islands,  —  an  ironwood  cane,  warranted  a 
sure  defence  against  highway  robbers.  •  I  had  at 
least  five  sets  of  mismated  gloves.  As  for  lead 
pencils,  it  was  my  habit  to  cut  them  into  short 
pieces,  and  put  one  into  every  pocket  that  I  had ; 
but  the  result  was  inevitably  the  same,  —  when  I 
wanted  to  use  a  pencil  in  a  hurry,  I  could  not  find 
one.  Perhaps  a  week  later  I  would  find  them  all 
clustering  in  one  pocket  of  some  rarely-worn 
waistcoat. 

Nevertheless,  1  still  cling  to  my  theory,  —  which 
my  wife  declares  is  very  silly  and  trivial,  although 
I  believe  I  printed  it  as  an  editorial  in  the  Cym- 
bal,  —  that  the  explanation  of  the  difference  be 
tween  the  mind  of  man  and  the  mind  of  woman 
lies  in  the  fact  that  man  has  so  many  pockets,  while 
woman  has  but  one.  The  man  must  reason  from 
pocket  to  pocket ;  the  woman  goes  for  her  one 
pocket  by  intuition. 

This  illustrates  the  genesis  of  the  intuitive  faculty 
of  woman,  as  well  as  the  logical  processes  of  a 
man's  mind.  A  man  has  to  reason  out  a  thing  by 
cumbrous  machinery.  A  woman  leaps  at  it. 

But  this  is  too  abstract  a  theory  to  develop  at 
length. 

We  reached  the  Governor's,  and  found  both  him 
and  his  wife  at  home.  We  quite  deluged  the 


<9.V    THE    POIXT.  251 

worthy  pair  with  our  eloquence.  We  told  them  all 
about  our  summer,  and  expressed  our  gratitude  as 
well  as  we  could. 

The  Governor  said  that  he  was  delighted  that  we 
had  such  a  good  time.  His  wife  added  that  it 
would  be  a  great  consolation  to  her  if  she  could 
dispose  of  that  cottage. 

"  We  would  sell  it  very  cheap,  very  cheap  in 
deed,"  said  she. 

"  How  much  ?  "  I  asked. 

•'Well,''  said  she,  looking  at  the  Governor,  "I  be 
lieve  it  cost  us  about  twenty-five  hundred  dollars, 
not  reckoning  the  land ;  but,  as  it  is  not  likely  that 
we  shall  ever  go  there  again,  and  as  it  is  only  a 
burden  on  our  hands,  giving  us  no  pleasure,  except 
when  our  friends  get  pleasure  from  it,  we  would  put 
it  in  first-class  order,  and  sell  it  for  a  thousand 
dollars." 

I  looked  at  Margaret.  She  understood  my  look, 
but  she  was  wise.  Out  of  gratitude  I  should  have 
been  glad  to  buy  that  cottage.  Besides,  it  was  a 
safe  investment.  Some  time  the  Point  would  come 
into  favor ;  some  good  manager  would  take  the 
hotel,  and  then  there  would  be  a  boom.  But  then,  it 
might  not  happen  for  twenty  years.  There  is  noth 
ing  easier  in  the  world  to  buy  than  real  estate,  and 
nothing  harder  to  get  rid  of, —  I  mean  at  a  profit. 

Margaret  shrewdly  changed  the  subject.  Five 
minutes  later  she  and  the  Governor  were  having  a 


252  av   THE   POIXT. 

lively  discussion  on  some  matter  which  I  happened 
to  know  greatly  interested  his  excellency. 

The  next  time  I  met  his  wife,  she  said,  — 

"  Mr.  Merrithew,  what  a  charming  girl  your 
daughter  is !  I  want  to  know  her  better.  My  hus 
band  was  delighted  with  her,  —  he  quite  lost  his 
heart  to  her !  She  is  so  clever,  and  at  the  same 
time  so  unconscious  of  it.  And  she  is  beautiful, 
too." 

Such  encomiums  tend  to  warm  the  heart,  perhaps 
unduly.  But  I  answered  as  modestly  as  I  could. 

We  talked  the  matter  of  buying  the  cottage  over 
seriously ;  and  if  Mrs.  Merrithew  had  wanted  to  go 
there  more  than  once  again,  certainly  Margaret 
would  have  bought  it.  But  the  truth  is,  Mrs.  Mer 
rithew  likes  surf  and  the  open  sea ;  she  has  a 
decided  longing  for  Gunkit.  We  shall  surely  go 
there  next  summer,  if  we  live. 

Just  as  I  am  making  that  prediction,  I  look  up 
from  my  paper  and  see,  passing  my  window  and 
entering  my  yard,  the  familiar  form  of  Ralf  Curtiss. 
I  can,  therefore,  only  add  a  word.  Seeing  him 
makes  me  forget  where  I  am.  As  I  hear  his  voice 
in  the  hall,  asking  for  Margaret,  it  comes  over  me 
vividly,  as  in  a  dream,  that  we  are  still  —  on  the 
Point ! 

THE  END. 


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